(Jacobi, 1905), lch/hyobe/us sp., and Rhaphirrhilllls phosphoreus (Linnaeus, 1758) -are added. A tec hnique for dissecting the female genita lia is presented. The facia l portion of head in V rujieallda, T cribra/a, and remaining species has a large sclerite (frons or postfrontoüons) c\early defined by the frontogenal suture. Belowthe frons , and separated from it by theepistoma l suture, a smaller sclerite is present (clypeus). The identitication ofthese sclerites is based on compar isons with descriptions in the literature ofa general ized Pterygota, a Psocoptera, a fossil Hemipleroidea, and other Homoplera. The conc lusions about lhe identities 01' frons and c1ypeus corroborate the hypotheses ofHAMILTON (1981) on the homologies of cephalic are as in Rhynchota. The tàcial sc\erites have modifications re lated with lhe xy lemomyzous diet. The frons is swollen, providing a larger area for attachmenl ofcibarial muscles. Other modifications increasing the area 01' frons are observed in lhe Proconiini. ln C. adsperslIs its lateralmargins are distinctly pronounced and its upper p0l1ion has a pair of lateral elevations. ln /ch/hyobe/us sp. and R. phosphorells the upper par! offrons is greatly developed, occupying 4/5 of dorsa l area ofhead on middle line. The vertex is lil11ited to a small portion (1 /5) of that area . The c1ypeus is also swollen, a fàcl related Wilh lhe greater development 01' cibarium. Th is character is more conspicuous in the Proconiini . ln this tribe the c\ypeus has a convex projection occupied by lhe cibarium, which is greatly developed. The pronotum and forewings in T cribrala are covered by pits, each with a seta on external margino These pits are sim il ar (and maybe homologous) to structures in the abdomen 01' a membracid (Goni%lllus /rieorniger Stal. 1869). The pronotum is smooth in V rl{/icallda. However. pits similar to those ofT cribrala, although smaller, OCCUr near the fo rewing veins. A strong costal vein is present in the torewings of the 10 studied species. This vein is formed by a fusion between precosla (PC), costa anterior (CA), and costa posterior (CP). Vestiges

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Taxonomy is essential to biological sciences and the priority field in face of the biodiversity crisis. The industry of scientific publications has made extensive promotion and display of bibliometric indexes, resulting in side effects such as the Journal Impact Factor™ (JIF) mania. Inadequacies of the widely used indexes to assess taxonomic publications are among the impediments for the progress of this field. Based on an unusually high proportion of self-citations, the mega-journal Zootaxa , focused on zoological taxonomy, was suppressed from the Journal Citation Reports (JCR, Clarivate™). A prompt reaction from the scientific community against this decision took place exposing myths and misuses of bibliometrics. Our goal is to shed light on the impact of misuse of bibliometrics to the production in taxonomy. We explored JCR's metrics for 2010–2018 of 123 zoological journals publishing taxonomic studies. Zootaxa , with around 15 000 citations, received 311% more citations than the second most cited journal, and shows higher levels of self-citations than similar journals. We consider Zootaxa 's scope and the fact that it is a mega-journal are insufficient to explain its high level of self-citation. Instead, this result is related to the ‘ Zootaxa phenomenon', a sociological bias that includes visibility and potentially harmful misconceptions that portray the journal as the only one that publishes taxonomic studies. Menaces to taxonomy come from many sources and the low bibliometric indexes, including JIF, are only one factor among a range of threats. Instead of being focused on statistically illiterate journal metrics endorsing the villainy of policies imposed by profit-motivated companies, taxonomists should be engaged with renewed strength in actions directly connected to the promotion and practice of this science without regard for citation analysis.

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Abstract.  Balacha currently includes six valid described species and B. caparao sp. nov., here described from Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The new taxon differs from other Balacha species in the ventrally inflated preapical aedeagal area and oblique bases of the ovipositor first valvulae. New records are as follows: B. decorata from Paraguay and Minas Gerais State (Brazil); B. distincta from Brazil; B. melanocephala from Montevideo Department (Uruguay) and Buenos Aires and Distrito Federal provinces (Argentina); and B. similis from Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais states (Brazil). Colombia is considered a dubious record for the genus. Phylogenetic relationships among Balacha species are examined based on a matrix of eighteen terminal taxa and sixty‐seven morphological characters. Balacha may be defined by the following synapomorphies: crown–frons transition approximately acute, crown anteriorly produced and with anterior margin subangulate, flattened pronotum continuing contour of head and mesonotum in lateral view, and teeth of second valvulae of ovipositor with anterior dorsal projection. The genus comprises two major lineages: the red Balacha clade (B. lepida(B. distincta + B. rubripennis)), and the black Balacha clade (B. caparao(B. decorata(B. melanocephala + B. similis))). Despite the scarcity of data on host plant usage of outgroup taxa (probably generalists on Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, and Asteraceae), we believe that the shift to feeding on Eryngium(Apiaceae) occurred in the ancestor of all recent Balacha species. Their small size and depressed body appear to be adaptations to living inside the rosette‐disposed leaves, and they seem to be restriced to this microhabitat. Balacha and their Eryngium hosts occur in grasslands in temperate South America, but at lower latitudes in Brazil they are isolated in alpine meadows on peaks of the southeast highlands. Dispersal between such areas through the lowland humid Atlantic forest in recent times would be difficult, thus the ancestor of Balacha was probably distributed in southeast South America before the uplift of the mountain ranges, during the late Eocene or Oligocene. This event may have triggered speciation of some lineages of the genus by vicariance.

Two new species, Portanus restingalis and Paraportanus marica, are described and illustrated from Restinga de Maricá, a sandy coastal plain in Rio de Janeiro State, Southeastern Brazil. Comparative notes on the two new species are given. Portanus youngi and Paraportanus eburatus are newly recorded from Brazil and Guyana, respectively. A checklist of all known species of Portanini with their geographic distribution is provided.

Abstract.  The Abana group sensu Mejdalani (2000) includes the genera Abana Distant, Acrobelus Stål, Acrogonia Stål, Deselvana Young, Omagua Melichar, Raphirhinus de LaPorte and Teletusa Distant. A comparative morphological study of these genera and six outgroup taxa yielded seventy‐four characters of the head, thorax, and male and female genitalia. The structures of the female genitalia, studied for the first time in a phylogenetic analysis of proconiine genera, provided informative characters for the analysis. A phylogenetic analysis conducted to estimate the relationships among these genera, using six outgroup genera, revealed eight equally most‐parsimonious trees. Goloboff's implied weights method resulted in two trees and successive weighting selected one of the original trees. The latter shows the following relationships for the genera: (Cicciana ((Acrogonia, Homalodisca) (Molomea, Tretogonia)) (Diestostemma (Desamera (Acrobelus ((Abana, Omagua) ((Raphirhinus (Deselvana sp., Deselvana ornata, Deselvana excavata)) (Deselvana dorsivitta, Teletusa))))))). The monophyly of the Abana group was not recovered, but a monophyletic group including Abana, Acrobelus, Deselvana, Omagua, Raphirhinus and Teletusa appeared in all eight trees. The genus Deselvana seems to be polyphyletic.

Apogonalia nielsoni, a new cicadelline leafhopper species from Mexico (Nayarit State), is described and illustrated. The color pattern of the new species is similar to that of A. germana (Fowler), whereas the male genital characteristics are similar to those of A. monticola (Fowler). The aedeagal shaft of A. nielsoni has a pair of short, triangular lateral processes that are absent in A. monticola. The paraphyses in both species are formed by a curved, Y-shaped basal plate and by a pair of narrow and very long rami. Apogonalia nielsoni has the arms of the basal plate longer than those of A. monticola. Moreover, the rami of the new species are dorsally or ventrally curved, whereas in the latter species they are approximately straight.