SUPERFAMILY MEMBRACOIDEA (HOMOPTERA, AUCHENORRHYNCHA) .1. INTRODUCTION AND REVISED CLASSIFICATION WITH NEW FAMILY-GROUP TAXA

A key and descriptions are given for the four families here recognized for the superfamily Membracidae Rafinesque, 1815: Cicadellidae Latrei lle, 1825 (sensu Oman et al., 1990), Melizoderidae, fam.n., Aetalionid ae Spinola, 1850 (redefined here), and Membracidae Rafinesque, 1815 (r edefined here). The following placements are corroborated: Cicadelloid ea Latreille, 1825, is a junior synonym of Membracoidea Rafinesque, 18 15; Biturritiidae Metcalf, 1951, is a junior synonym of Aetalionidae S pinola, 1850; Nicomiidae Haupt, 1929, is a junior synonym of Membracid ae Rafinesque, 1815. The new family Melizoderidae includes two genera: Melizoderes Spinola and Llanquihuea Linnavuori and DeLong. Within Aet alionidae, the subfamily Biturritiinae is redefined to include only fi ve genera. Within the family Membracidae, the subfamily Endoiastinae, subfam.n., is described; the subfamilies Centronodinae Deitz, 1975, st atus n. (with tribe Centronodini Deitz, 1975, including the genus Para centronodus Sakakibara, 1971, new placement), and Centrodontinae Deitz , 1975, status n. (with tribe Centrodontini Deitz, 1975), are recogniz ed for the first time; and the following groups are redefined: subfami lies Stegaspidinae Haupt, 1929, Nicomiinae Haupt, 1929, and Membracina e Rafinesque, 1815; and tribe Stegaspidini Haupt, 1929 (Stegaspidinae) . The new subfamily Endoiastinae includes three genera: Endoiastus Fow ler, Scytodepsa Stal, and Stictodepsa Stal. Endoiastus productus Osbor n, 1922, is placed as a junior synonym of Stictodepsa neotropicalis Ki rkaldy, 1909, syn.n. Lectotypes are designated and illustrated for Tet tigonia muscaria Fabricius, 1803 (now Lophyraspis muscaria) and Cicada fuscata Fabricius, 1803 (now Stictodepsa neotropicalis Kirkaldy, 1909 ).