A Comparative Electrophoretic Study of Cicadellidae and Membracidae1, 2

Abstract

A taxonomic study was conducted by acrylamide gel electrophoresis of Draeculacephala partola Ball. D. balli Van Duzee, Carneocephala flaviceps Riley, Chlorotettix viridius Van Duzee, Exitianus exitiosus Uhler, Cuerna costalis (F.), Graminella nigrifrons Forbes (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) and Stictocephala bubalus (F.) (Homoptera : Membracidae). Twenty-five anodically migrating protein bands were observed in whole-body homogenates of both Cicadellidae and Membracidae. Test specimens were easily classified to family, subfamily, tribe, genus, and species within different genera based on qualitative and quantitative analysis of the protein bands. Species within the same genus (D. portola and D. balli) could not be separated electrophoretically. Qualitative and quantitative differences of protein bands were sufficient to differentiate the sexes.