Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory
Project Number: 8042-30400-002-000-D
Project Type: In-House Appropriated
Start Date: Jul 29, 2025
End Date: Jul 28, 2030
Objective:
Objective 1: Conduct integrative systematic research generating molecular and morphological data to determine species boundaries, describe new and invasive species, develop identification criteria, predict phylogenetic relationships, stabilize classifications, and investigate host associations and specificity of Acari (mites), Membracoidea (leafhoppers and treehoppers), Coccomorpha (scale insects), Aphidomorpha (aphids), and Heteroptera (true bugs) that are pests of or are beneficial to U.S. agriculture.
Objective 2: Develop web-searchable electronic databases, tools, and images of mites (Acari), scale insects and aphids (Sternorrhyncha), tree hoppers (Auchenorrhyncha), and true bugs (Heteroptera) in the U.S. National Insect and Mite Collection and obtained through field exploration.
Objective 3: Provide authoritative identifications of specimens submitted by stakeholders worldwide and manage and curate assigned portions of the U.S. National Insect and Mite Collection, including the Acari (mites) and the hemipteran suborders Heteroptera, Auchenorrhyncha, Sternorrhyncha, and Coleorrhyncha.
Approach:
Within each sub-project, research will focus on a number of economically important herbivores, predators, and disease vectors within Hemiptera (Aphidomorpha, Blissidae, Coccomorpha, and Membracidae) and Acariformes (Tetranychoidea and Eriophyoidea). These groups will each receive comprehensive treatment and large revisions or monographs will be produced. This study will redefine and describe closely related species- and genus-group taxa and provide aids to help recognize them. The treatments will include diagnoses, descriptions, illustrations, and identification keys, hypotheses of relationships, phylogenetically informed revisions, and synthesis of the literature containing information on hosts, distributions, biology, and vectored diseases. Through the systematic treatment, summarization, interpretation, and analysis of diverse data sources (i.e., morphological, molecular, biological, and biogeographic information), phylogenetic relationships will be used to predict the hosts of poorly known plant feeders, prey species and predators, and the potential of plant-feeding species to serve as vectors of harmful phytopathogens.