Abstract
The paper provides a historical review of the research on Flatidae in Madagascar and indicates future prospects. While the first two species of Madagascar Flatidae were described by Guérin-Méneville (1844), it was Signoret (1860) who made the first real attempt to enhance our knowledge of the Hemiptera fauna of Madagascar by describing several additional species. Over the following century and a half, several investigators have turned their attention to this group of insects, with the final number of species recorded for the island reaching 79. Despite this long history of research, it is evident that much still remains to be done. Detailed taxonomic research will allow the natural history of Madagascar and changes in the biological diversity of its endemic ecosystems to be better understood. This paper should be considered as an introduction to a complex study on the systematics and phylogeny of worldwide Flatidae planthoppers.
Highlights
Flatidae constitute one of the largest families within planthoppers (Fulgoromorpha, Hemiptera) with 1446 species described in 299 genera and 12 tribes distributed worldwide (Bourgoin 2013)
Madagascar is one of eight important global biodiversity hotspots owing to its unique biota and the high level of threat to its natural habitats (McNeely et al 1990, Myers et al 2000, Ganzhorn et al 2001)
The first description of flatid species dates back to the first half of the 19th century when French entomologist Félix Édouard Guérin-Méneville (1799–1874) gave a drawing and a short note on Flata malgacha and Flatoides tortrix in the work Iconographie du Règne Animal (Guérin-Méneville 1844). It was Victor Signoret (1816–1889) who made the first real attempt to enhance our knowledge of the Hemiptera fauna of Madagascar (Signoret 1860) by describing several additional species, in particular: Nephesa antica, Nephesa suturalis, Phyllyphanta nivea, Elidiptera madagascariensis, Flatoides cicatricosus, F. hyalinipennis, F. sinuatus, F. vicinus
Summary
Madagascar Flatidae (Hemiptera, Fulgoromorpha): state-of-the-art and research challenges. Simov | Received 20 October 2012 | Accepted 4 February 2013 | Published 30 July 2013 Citation: Świerczewski D, Stroiński A (2013) Madagascar Flatidae (Hemiptera, Fulgoromorpha): state-of-the-art and research challenges. In: Popov A, Grozeva S, Simov N, Tasheva E (Eds) Advances in Hemipterology.
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