AUTOMATED IDENTIFICATION OF LEAFHOPPERS (HOMOPTERA, CICADELLIDAE, DRAECULACEPHALA BALL)

An automated system was developed for identifying, without dissection, leafhoppers of the genus Draeculacephala Ball. An online interactive key first is used to place an unknown specimen in a species or species group using discrete external morphological features. A morphometric identification routine then uses linear discriminant models to identif y specimens belonging to groups of species that lack discrete differen ces. Measurements are captured automatically with a video-image proces sor. This system achieves identifications quickly and with minimal ope rator training.