Proutista

Proutista is a small genus of planthoppers from the family Derbidae, tribe Zoraidini, with 10 species, as of 2024. The type species, Proutista moesta is widely distributed and often very common, its distribution ranging from Tanzania in Africa, over some Indian Ocean islands (Seychelles, Maldives) and southern parts of western Asia (India, Sri Lanka) to far eastern Asia (China, Taiwan, Japan) and parts of the western Pacific (Philippines, Guam, Palau, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea). Seven of the remaining species are also found in tropical parts of Asia and only two additional species have been recorded from Africa, where Proutista fritillaris is the most common one. The species of Proutista are characterized by a combination of different features, mainly the shape and venation of the forewings, the size of the hind wings and the structure of the head and the antennae. On the forewings the media vein has 6 branches, none of them branching further into sub branches. The hind wings are about half as long as the forewings and have a rounded tip. The head has a narrow face (frons) and the antennae are rather short, much shorter than the face.

Type species: Assamia dentata Buckton, 1896, a synonym of Proutista moesta (Westwood, 1851)