Introduction DrMetcalf provides online access to information on cicadas , leafhoppers , planthoppers , spittlebugs , and treehoppers , including a searchable bibliographic database for retrieving literature on these groups, which together comprise the group Auchenorrhyncha . The database includes nearly 12,000 early publications (1741-1955). Few electronic databases cover the early literature for any insect group. Because the focal groups are common and widespread, users may find the database helpful for retrieving many older works on insects in general. DrMetcalf also includes an overview of the group Auchenorrhyncha and each of its major subgroups. These overviews present information on distribution, morphology, ecology and behavior, as well as selected links and selected references published since 1955 (some by Metcalf). Moreover, the website is named for the late Dr. Zeno P. Metcalf , whose life is inseparably linked to the study of these insects. An associated website, TREEHOPPERS (in preparation) will include a checklist of treehopper genera (with photographs and distribution data) and an up-to-date searchable bibliography on the treehoppers. Our target audience includes specialists in entomology, crop protection, and zoology. The resource should also be valuable to those in related life sciences. DrMetcalf is the product of a partnership among the NCSU Department of Entomology, the NCSU Libraries, the University of Illinois, the Illinois Natural History Survey, the Systematic Entomology Laboratory (United States Department of Agriculture) and researchers at several other institutions (see the acknowledgements section below). This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation (Grants DEB-9815867, to L. L. Deitz, Principal Investigator; and NSF DEB-9978026 PEET Program, to C. H. Dietrich and L. L. Deitz, Principal Investigators), the NCSU Agricultural Research Service , and the NCSU Libraries . Before using this site please read the Disclaimer and Data Use Policy below. Acknowledgments Introduction prepared by L. L. Deitz. 1 December 2008. Suggested citation of the electronic publication DrMetcalf: Deitz, L. L. (team leader). 2008 (and updates). DrMetcalf: a resource on cicadas, leafhoppers, planthoppers, spittlebugs, and treehoppers. http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/specialcollections/digital/metcalf/index.html. [note: various additional authors are listed in each section] Contact Us NCSU Libraries, Special Collections: special_collections@ncsu.edu