Morphological study establishes two new planthopper genera in Oriental Pentastirini

A morphological taxonomic study established two new genera and three new species in the planthopper tribe Pentastirini. The taxa were named Pteroprocessus and Philippinarus, bringing the number of recognized extant genera in the tribe to 60, according to the paper.

The researchers followed the classification of Emeljanov and Shcherbakov (2025), which recognizes Pentastirinae as a subfamily containing Pentastirini and Mnemosynini. The study focused on the Oriental fauna, where the generic placement of numerous planthoppers remains uncertain and several genera have previously been treated as paraphyletic.

External anatomy, wing venation, leg structure and male and female terminalia were examined with a stereomicroscope and photographic equipment. Card-mounted dry specimens were used, and selected abdomens were removed, macerated in 10% potassium hydroxide, rinsed and preserved in glycerol. Drawings, specimen photographs and a distribution map documented the diagnostic structures and reported localities.

The new genus Pteroprocessus includes Pteroprocessus binghami, transferred from Indolipa, and two newly described species, Pteroprocessus nabhitabhatai and Pteroprocessus obscurinervis. Its diagnosis combines wing venation, body proportions, hind-leg form and male genitalia, including cane-shaped genital styles, a narrow asymmetric pygofer and a coiled aedeagal flagellum.

P. nabhitabhatai was described from six males and one female collected in Trang Province, Thailand. Males measured 7.2–7.5 mm and the female measured 8.5 mm. P. obscurinervis was described from two males collected in Yunnan Province, China, each measuring 8.5–8.7 mm. Its name refers to the species’ dark wing venation, while the female remains unknown.

The placement of P. binghami in Pteroprocessus is provisional. The species was described from Rangoon, Myanmar, from a single female, and no male material from the type locality is known. The authors therefore limited comparisons to external characters, female terminalia and wing markings and stated that examination of male specimens from the type locality would be needed to resolve its relationship with P. nabhitabhatai.

The second genus, Philippinarus, contains P. granulatus, transferred from Oliarus, and the newly described P. tarandiformis. Both species are known only from Luzon in the Philippines. P. granulatus is represented in the cited material by a 5.0 mm male and a 5.6 mm female, while the male holotype of P. tarandiformis measures 6.3 mm; the latter species’ female is unknown.

Philippinarus is distinguished by wing venation, body proportions, hind-leg structure, metatarsal spine arrangement and male genitalia. P. granulatus and P. tarandiformis are separated by features of the aedeagus, including the form of the right ventrobasal process, the apex of the medioventral process and the distribution of small spines on apical processes.

Known records place Philippinarus on Luzon, while Pteroprocessus has a broader recorded range extending through the Indochinese Peninsula into China, with P. binghami known from Rangoon. The authors state that the Oriental Pentastirini fauna remains incompletely known and that some existing generic concepts, including those associated with Oliarus and Indolipa, require further taxonomic and phylogenetic investigation.

Subject of Research: Morphological taxonomy of Oriental Pentastirini planthoppers

Article Title: Two new remarkable genera of Oriental Pentastirini ( Hemiptera , Auchenorrhyncha , Cixiidae )

Article References: Schlitt, B. P., & Orosz, A. (2026). Two new remarkable genera of Oriental Pentastirini (Hemiptera, Auchenorrhyncha, Cixiidae). ZooKeys, 1292, 327-347. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1292.206598

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1292.206598

Keywords: Pentastirini, Cixiidae, planthoppers, taxonomy, new genera, new species, morphology, Philippinarus, Pteroprocessus, Oriental fauna, remarkable, genera