RESEARCH (60%)
Current projects
on the phylogeny and systematics of the Membracoidea (Hemiptera)
emphasize the evolution and higher classification of two large cosmopolitan
subfamilies--the treehopper subfamily Centrotinae (Membracidae) and the
leafhopper subfamily Typhlocybinae (Cicadellidae)--and
also the compilation of two Internet accessible databases--one for retrieving
information, images, and literature on treehoppers (Aetalionidae, Melizoderidae,
and Membracidae) and one for retrieving pre-computer
literature (1758-1955) on the auchenorrhynchous Hemiptera. These research
projects are supported by funds from the National
Science Foundation (DEB-9978026
[with C.H. Deitrich], PEET: Partnership for Monographic and Phylogenetic
Research on Leafhoppers and Treehoppers; and DEB-9815867:
Developing a Phylogenetic Classification of the Centrotine Treehoppers
(Insecta: Hemiptera: Membracidae)) and from the North
Carolina Agricultural Research Service (NCARS Project NC06676: Phylogeny
and Systematics of the Membracoidea).
Initiatives
to enchance the North
Carolina State University Insect Collection
include projects to: (1) provide an Internet-accessible guide to the resources
of the Collection, including its type
material; (2) develop the Collection's databases; (3) promote growth
of the Collection , especially in areas of specialization; (4) curate and
organize the Collection according to modern classifications; and (5) safeguard
collection resources. These projects will make resources more widely known
and more accessible to the scientific community. With more than 1.4 million
prepared specimens, the NCSU Insect Collection is an internationally recognized
systematic resource. Boasting unsurpassed representation of North Carolina
insects, it served as the basis for the series "Insect of North
Carolina." The Collection also has outstanding research collections
in the Hemiptera (Homoptera and Heteroptera), Lepidoptera, Acarina, Hymenoptera,
Diptera, Coleoptera, Orthoptera, and Collembola. Funds for new storage facilities
to house these rapidly growing resources have been provided by the National
Science Foundation (DEB-9709141 [with B.M. Wiegmann]: Expansion of the
NCSU Insect Collection) and the North Carolina Agricultural (NCARS Project
NC05625: New Initiatives to Enhance the NCSU Insect Collection).
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