Thapaia malingensis Yuan & Song sp. nov. Figs 1 A-H, 2 A-M Description. Body light brown. Vertex and pronotum light brownish yellow (Fig. 1 A, D). Vertex anterior margin protruding medially, with 4 dark brown spots (Figs 1 A, D, 2 C). Coronal suture distinct, with dark brown patch along midline and vertex – pronotum junction. Face brownish yellow, with dark brown anteclypeus (Fig. 1 B, E). Pronotum yellowish, with large, dark-brown to black markings. Scutellum yellow or orange (Figs 1 A, D, 2 C). Forewing brownish white, with numerous large brown or orangish-brown markings; brochosome brightly ochre-yellow; 1 st apical cell with oblique base, 2 nd apical cell petiolate basally, 4 th apical cell very small (Fig. 2 K). Hind wing without RA (Fig. 2 M). Abdominal apodemes broad, extending to middle area of 5 th sternite (Fig. 2 F). Male genitalia. Pygofer (Fig. 2 A) broad, with long, fine setae near caudo-ventral margin; lobe near tail tip almost transparent; dorsal pygofer appendage fused to lobe (Fig. 2 D). Anal tube with pair of basal processes (Fig. 2 B). Subgenital plate (Fig. 2 E) with base twice as wide as apex, numerous stout setae from middle to tip, and five macrosetae at concave area subbasally. Style (Fig. 2 J) slender, apically elongate. Aedeagal shaft (Fig. 2 G-I) curved dorsally in lateral view, several short, fine setae located at base of shaft and separately near gonopore; preatrium as long as dorsal apodeme. Connective (Fig. 2 L) with lateral arms long and central lobe large. Measurements. Body length in males 3.3–3.5 mm, in females 3.2–3.5 mm. Material examined. Holotype male: China, • Guizhou Prov. Maling River Canyon, 700–800 m, 25.1345°N, 104.9733°E, 26 Jan. 2025, coll. Wenming Xu (specimen no. MLH 2 X-1; deposited in the School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China [GZNU]). Paratypes: • one male, seven females, same data as holotype (specimen no. MLH 2 X-2, MLH 2 C-1 - MLH 2 C-7; deposited as above). Remarks. The new species can be distinguished from other species by the following characteristics: aedeagal shaft without any processes (Fig. 2 G-I); abdominal apodemes extending to 5 th sternite (Fig. 2 F); subgenital plate with 5 macrosetae subbasally at concave aera (Fig. 2 E); and style with pointed apex and a secondary dentate-like extension (Fig. 2 J). Etymology. The specific name refers to its type locality from Maling River Canyon, Guizhou.

Published as part of Yuan, Xiaojuan, Xu, Wenming, Zhao, Zihui, Su, Di & Song, Yuehua, 2025, New contribution to the leafhopper genus Thapaia (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Typhlocybinae), with the description of a new species from China, pp. 171-179 in ZooKeys 1254 on pages 171-179, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1254.155062