Insect Diversity and Cladistic Constraints

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Abstract
The rapid decline in biological diversity mandates immediate attention to the need to inventory species diversity. This priority, however, is accompanied by a similarly great need for the continued expansion and application of theoretical advances in systematic biology. These provide hypotheses of evolutionary patterns of common ancestry that are necessary for studies of evolutionary mechanisms and interpretations of every source of comparative biological data. The constraints imposed on comparative entomological studies by cladistic theory are discussed, along with the incredible diversity of the insects. The latter is illustrated in a “speciescape” that contrasts species diversity of major taxa of living organisms. The current decline in insect systematics is discussed, and it is concluded that resources must be allocated for primary components of the systematic entomology agenda: species inventories, monographic and revisional taxonomy, and cladistic analyses.