Preliminary inventory of the planthoppers (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea) of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee, USA

The Fulgoroidea of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was investigated in July 2002 as part of an ongoing all-taxa biotic inventory. Sweep samples were taken by three investigators from 28 localities throughout the Park with all specimens of the target taxon retained. This preliminary inventory obtained 1,290 specimens, representing 8 families, 23 genera and 37 species. Species accumulation curves and nine estimators of species richness were explored, all of which predicted a species richness of approximately 50 species (range of estimates 44-58 species). This approximation probably underestimates the true species richness of planthoppers because of seasonal, spatial and methodological limitations of this initial estimate.