The Sternorrhyncha[1][2][3] suborder of the Hemiptera contains the aphids, whiteflies, and scale insects, groups which were traditionally included in the now-obsolete order "Homoptera". "Sternorrhyncha" refers to the rearward position of the mouthparts relative to the head.

Sternorrhyncha
Temporal range: Permian–Recent
An aphid.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Sternorrhyncha
Superfamilies

Aleyrodoidea
Aphidoidea
Coccoidea
Phylloxeroidea
Psylloidea
Dinglidae

Distributed worldwide, all members of this group are plant-feeders, many considered pests feeding on major crops and ornamental plants.

Many exhibit modified morphology and/or life cycles, including phenomena such as flightless morphs, parthenogenesis, sexual dimorphism, and eusociality.

Phylogeny edit

The phylogeny of the extant Sternorrhyncha, inferred from analysis of small subunit (18S) ribosomal RNA, is shown in the cladogram.[citation needed]

Sternorrhyncha

Psylloidea (jumping plant lice, etc.)  

Aleyrodoidea (whiteflies)  

Coccoidea (scale insects)  

Aphidomorpha

Phylloxeroidea (phylloxera bugs)  

Aphididae (aphids)  

The evolutionary position of several fossil taxa are unclear. A suggested phylogeny is:[4][5]

Groups edit

Well-known groups in the Sternorrhyncha include:

References edit

  1. ^ "ITIS standard report - Sternorrhyncha". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  2. ^ Grimaldi & Engel (2005) Evolution of the Insects 289-303.
  3. ^ Paraneoptera Species File (Version 5.0/5.0)
  4. ^ Drohojowska, Jowita; Szwedo, Jacek; Żyła, Dagmara; Huang, Di-Ying; Müller, Patrick (2020). "Fossils reshape the Sternorrhyncha evolutionary tree (Insecta, Hemiptera)". Scientific Reports. 10 (1): 11390. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-68220-x. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 7347605. PMID 32647332.
  5. ^ Szwedo, Jacek (2016). "The unity, diversity and conformity of bugs (Hemiptera) through time". Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 107 (2–3): 109–128. doi:10.1017/S175569101700038X. ISSN 1755-6910. S2CID 134243346.

External links edit