Genetic and Morphological Analyses of co-occurring Treehoppers (Entlylia carinata and Publilia concava)

Kryzsko Commons Ballroom, Winona, Minnesota

Two treehoppers, Entlylia carinata(keeled treehopper) and Publilia concava (aster treehopper), co-occur in the Midwest. These insects, which are commonly accompanied by ants, reside on different species of asters. These treehoppers are identified by the shape of their pronotum, however, it has been hypothesized that they may be the same species, or may interbreed in regions where they co-occur. We believe that the pronotum could be a morphological feature that explains growth rather than speciation. Recent research shows that Entylia carinata make distinct mating calls depending on their natal plant which may result in assortative mating by plant type. In this study we aimed to a) determine if Entylia carinata and Publilia concava are the same species and b) determine if Entylia carinata are genetically differentiated based on their natal plant species. For this study we collected treehoppers from four species of asters near Wonewoc, Wisconsin. We collected treehoppers nymphs from Ratibida pinnata (grayhead coneflower), Echinacea purpurea (purple coneflower), Ambrosia trifida (giant ragweed), and Eutrochiun purpureum (sweet Joe-Pye-weed). We stored the specimens in 70% EtOH. We then categorized each treehopper based on various morphological features that represent nymphal stages. We then utilized PCR to sequence the cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene. We examined each treehopper under a dissecting microscope to determine if we could find key features of morphological differences among the nymphal stages of the two species. The results of the morphological and genetic analyses were used to determine if Entylia carinata and Publilia concava are separate species and if Entyliacarinata are differentiated by host plant.