MORPHOTAXONOMICAL STUDIES OF SOME FAMILIES OF FULGOROIDEA FOUND IN PAKISTAN AND ADJOING COUNTIES (HOMOPTERA: FULGOROIDEA)

The present work comprises the taxonomical studies of the seven families of Fulgoroidea, that includes Dic-tyopharidae Spinola, Flatidae Spinola, Achilidae Stal, Ricaniidae Amyot and Serville, Cixiidae Spinola, Lophopidae Stal, and Tropiduchidae Stal. The total number of genera and species that have been studied in the present work are 28 genera and 80 species collected from various parts of Pakistan, Azad Kashmir and Bangladesh out of which 6 genera and 58 species are new to science. Keys to genera and species have been drawn, for description of known genera reference have been made to the original publication, while new genera and species have been described in detail after comparing with the relevant description of the planthoppers available in the literature. Zoogeographically the areas including Pakistan and Bangladesh fall into the Oriental and Palaearctic regions. The material from Bangladesh is primarily of the Oriental region, while that of Pakistan includes some Palaearctic forms as well. Most of the species are recorded on grass but a good number of species are recorded on economically important crops such as sugarcane, wheat, maize, rice and fruit plants also