Spelaeodelphax Santos & Asche 2026, gen. nov.

Spelaeodelphax Santos & Asche gen. nov. Type species. Spelaeodelphax nexus Santos & Asche, sp. nov. Diagnosis. Small delphacid, habitus strongly troglomorphic: compound eyes and ocelli totally absent, tegmina strongly reduced, wings vestigial, without sexual dimorphism in the degree of troglomorphy. Females slightly larger in body size than males. Spelaeodelphax gen. nov. differs from all other delphacid genera by the unique combination of the following characters: vertex wide and short, median carina present; frons wider than long, median carina presents in Y-shape apically, lateral carinae not elevated. Hind tibia with lateral spines, five apical teeth, calcar small, not serrated, not reaching the midlength of basitarsus. Male terminalia, pygofer rounded in caudal view; anal segment short, semicylindrical, without process; gonostyli very short, in ventral view pincer-shaped on last third distal, lateral process sub-triangular basally; aedeagus tubular asymmetrical, shaft of the aedeagus elongated, with flattened and tubular spines, flagellum tubular developed, without spine processes. Description. Structure. Body length 1.6–2.0 mm (male and females). Head in dorsal view distinctly narrower than pronotum at posterior margin (0.6–0.7: 1); compound eyes and ocelli totally absent. Vertex short, at posterior margin about 4 times wider than medially long, in dorsal view, apical transverse carina evanescent, slightly concave, incised medially; caudal border moderately concave, median carina evanescent; transition to frons smoothly rounded. Frons about 1.3 times wider than high, widest at level of antennal bases; no median carinae recognizable, surface smooth, shallowly convex, lateral carinae not elevated. Frontoclypeal suture notched, shallowly arched and slightly convex towards postclypeus. Post- and anteclypeus with median carina absent, postclypeus swollen medially. Rostrum distinctly surpassing post-trochanters; distal labial segment furnished with several long bristles and a crown of numerous (14 + 2) short conical or peg-like, on ventral side one sensilla on each side located slightly basad; stylets elongate, filiformous, mandibular stylets distally split, maxillary stylets distally with a row of 4 well-spaced teeth. Antennae with scape short, ring-like; pedicel subglobose, about 3.2 times longer than scape, 1.3–1.4 times longer than wide, distally with about 10 sensory-plaques and several bristles; 3 rd antennal joint relatively short, Bourgoin´s organ small but recognizable, long arista filiformous, second arista short arising laterally at base. Genae devoid of oblique carina; lamina mandibularis defined by sutures. Thorax bearing pronotum tricarinate with 2 distinct depressions laterally, at posterior margin about 5 times wider than medially long, posterior margin shallowly concave; lateral carinae strongly divergent, sharply ridged, median carina weakly developed, evanescent distally. Mesonotum about 1.7–1.8 times wider than medially long, surface smoothly rounded, seemingly tricarinate, carinae rather weak, almost obsolete, faintly visible with particular light exposure only, lateral carinae diverging caudad, median carina only in anterior disc only. Tegmina coriaceous, surface smooth devoid of bristles, strongly reduced, attaining anterior margin of 2 nd abdominal tergites; about 1.4–1.5 times longer than wide, widest at midlength, distal margin broadly rounded, almost subtruncate; venation patterns evanescent, almost absent, ScP + R anteriorly recognizable. Hindwings reduced to small and narrow elongate pads. Legs moderately long, slender, normally shaped, devoid of obvious flattening or dilation of particular limbs; between post-trochanters and - femora on ventral side a short, densely scale-sculptured, nail-like structure (see corresponding scanning photography); such a structure, reminding of the skin of a pangolin, is present in adult Delphacidae and most other Fulgoromorpha, but is rarely referred to. Post-tibia about twice as long as post-tarsomeres combined (2.1: 1), about 6 times longer than post-tibial spur; laterally with 2 spines, one near base, the other shortly basad of midlength; distally with 5 spines, increasingly longer towards outside. Postbasitarsus about 1.6–1.7 times longer than 2 nd and 3 rd post-tarsomers combined, about 2.5 times longer than post-tibial spur; distally with 4 equally sized stout spines in a transverse row; 2 nd post-tarsomeres distally with equally small spines. Post-tibial spur (calcar) subulate, terete, distally acuminate, furnished with a few irregular bristles. Pretarsi with relatively small claws, arolium pillow-like with numerous horizontal ridges. Abdomen bearing abdominal tergites 3–6 chevron-shaped. Male genitalia. Pygofer moderately long, in lateral view trapezoidal, in caudal view subcircular, dorsally rather narrow, laterocaudal margins convex, ventrocaudal margin concave, medially with a short triangular process; diaphragm weakly sclerotized without a prominent armature or process; foramen for gonotyli small, flat ovate. Anal segment relatively large, hood-like, in ventrocaudal view bilobate; epiproct and paraproct rather small. Aedeagus with shaft tubular, straight, from right basal part arising a long rigid spinose process which is curved toward shaft and left side; shortly distad of midlength of shaft on left and right side a rigid spinose process pointing almost rectangularly laterad; from apex of shaft on ventral side arising a slender, slightly sinuate and apparently mobile process which is curved ventrobasad with tip pointing right laterad; flagellum tubular, devoid of spinose processes, quartercircularly curved over dorsal side, reaching basad to nearly midlength of shaft, phallotreme apically exposed to dorsal side. Gonostyli short, slightly surpassing dorsal margin of diaphragm, in basal 2 thirds medially close to each other in a nearly straight line, inner margin subapically quarter circularly excavate, distally forming a pair of pincers with distal margin truncate. Female genitalia. Ovipositor short and robust, ensiform, slightly surpassing tip of tergite IX and anal segment, basal part nearly at midlength of abdomen, gently curved dorsad; tergite IX ventrally broad, convex, ventromedially with a deep furrow to receive ovipositor, attaining or slightly surpassing midlength of anal segment; anal segment short, dorsocaudally semicircularly excavate, ventrocaudal margin nearly straight transverse with laterocaudally corners rounded; paraproct very short. Etymology. The genus name is derived from the Greek word for cave (σπήλαιο). The gender is masculine. Distribution. Brazil, Bahia state, Carinhanha municipality.