A new species of Oecleus (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Fulgoroidea: Cixiidae) from the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and a reassessment of the generic status of Nymphomyndus Author Barrantes Barrantes, Edwin A. Universidad of Costa Rica-Sede San Ramón, Departmento de Ciencias Naturales, de la Iglesia el Tremedal 400 mts al Oeste carretera hacia San Pedro, San Ramón, Alajuela, Costa Rica. Author Zumbado Echavarria, Marco A. Universidad of Costa Rica-Sede San Ramón, Departmento de Ciencias Naturales, de la Iglesia el Tremedal 400 mts al Oeste carretera hacia San Pedro, San Ramón, Alajuela, Costa Rica. Author Bartlett, Charles R. University of Delaware, Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, 250 Townsend Hall, Newark, DE 19716 - 2160, USA. Author Helmick, Ericka E. University of Florida, Department of Entomology and Nematology-Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center; 3205 College Ave., Davie, FL 33314 - 7719, USA. Author Bahder, Brian W. University of Florida, Department of Entomology and Nematology-Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center; 3205 College Ave., Davie, FL 33314 - 7719, USA. text Zootaxa 2022 2022-05-06 5133 4 509 526 journal article 55624 10.11646/zootaxa.5133.4.3 46ce6225-f5a8-43b3-b0ef-fd25a20d1598 1175-5326 6531072 ABB2811D-36C8-4A21-AEDA-394FC44FA524 Status of Nymphocixia and Nymphomyndus Nymphocixia unipunctata ( Fig. 11 ) was described from Mexico (Isla Espíritu Santo, Gulf of California; Van Duzee 1923 ) with the genus established to accommodate the species due to characteristics of the head compared to Oecleus (greatly elevated lateral carinae of vertex with vertex hiding the pronotum). Nymphomyndus caribbea ( Fig. 12 ) was originally described as Nymphocixia ( Fennah 1971 ) , however, Emeljanov (2007) established Nymphomyndus for N. caribbea based on differences in the head. Emeljanov (2007) discussed Nymphocixia in comparison with his new genus Nymphomyndus (and the monobasic genus Nesomyndus Jacobi from Madagascar ), but provided little for diagnostic comparisons among genera. The key diagnostic differences between the genera appear to be that in Nymphomyndus the lateral margins of the vertex (dorsal view) are anteriorly converging (parallel in Nymphocixia ), the posterior margin of the vertex does not entirely overlap the pronotum (posterior margin of vertex overlapping in Nymphocixia ) and in lateral view, anterior profile of head “almost straight in distal three-quarters” (quoting Emeljanov (2007: 292) from Fennah (1971: 313) (versus smoothly rounding in Nymphocixia ) ( Fig. 13 ). The level of variability between Nymphocixia and Nymphomyndus for 18S is significantly less than what was observed among other genera, indicating that the separation into these two genera was not warranted. Because the features listed by (Van Duzee as indicative of Nymphocixia are present in Nymphomyndus caribbea , lack of strong characters to merit the establishment of Nymphomyndus as a distinct genus, and strong molecular support that Nymphocixia and Nymphomyndus are closely related, we here synonymize Nymphomyndus under Nymphocixia , with the composition of Nymphocixia as follows.