Between light and darkness: Terrabela bahiana gen. nov. et spec. nov. (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae), a new Pintaliini from Brazilian caves

Recent surveys of Brazilian cave faunas continue to reveal previously undocumented diversity within Neotropical Cixiidae. Among its tribes, Pintaliini is one of the most diverse, yet its morphological diversity remains incompletely documented. Here, we describe Terrabela gen. nov. and its type species, Terrabela bahiana sp. nov., from a limestone cave in northeastern Brazil. The new genus is characterized by a distinctive combination of characters of the head, tegmina, and male terminalia that readily distinguishes it from all other known genera of Pintaliini. The available evidence supports a provisional classification of the new species as a subtroglophile. This discovery expands the known morphological diversity of the tribe, contributes to the discussion of generic limits within Pintaliini, and underscores the importance of Brazilian cave systems in revealing previously undocumented evolutionary lineages and advancing our understanding of planthopper systematics.