research.
taxonomy.
True hoppers (Hemiptera, suborder Auchenorrhyncha) are globally-distributed group of plant-feeding insects including cicadas, leafhoppers, treehoppers, spittlebugs, and planthoppers. I study their classification.
My background is in morphological description—comparing different forms and structures to infer phylogenetic relationships.
Currently, I am studying the diversity and evolution of true hoppers associated with oaks in the Madrean Sky Islands as a Ph. D. student in the Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Entomology and Insect Science (GIDP-EIS) at the University of Arizona in Dr. Wendy Moore’s lab.
Below is a comprehensive list of my published works.
published works.
12. Hendrix, S. V., & Bartlett, C. R. (2025b). Reclassification of the Planthopper Genus Melanoliarus Fennah, 1945 (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae), primarily North of Mexico, with Notes on American Pentastirini. Zootaxa, 5619(1), 1-87. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5619.1.1
11. Hendrix, S. V., Bartlett, C. R., & Freitas, A. S. D. (2025). Revised generic placement of Bruchomorpha rugosa Metcalf (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Caliscelidae) with an assessment of Fitchiella Van Duzee, a genus of conservation interest. Zootaxa, 5618(1), 79-96. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5618.1.5
10. de Haas, M. C., Bartlett, C. R., & Hendrix, S. V. (2025). A new species of Microledrida Fowler from Curaçao (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae). Zootaxa, 5609(2), 174-192. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5609.2.2
9. Hendrix, S. V., & Bartlett, C. R. (2025a). A new genus and species of cixiid planthopper (Hemiptera: Delphacoidea: Cixiidae) from Belize, including a key to the American Pentastirini and a checklist of Belizean Fulgoromorpha. Zootaxa, 5588(4), 551-572. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5588.4.3
8. Barrantes, E. A. B., Echavarria, M. A. Z., Bartlett, C. R., Hendrix, S. V., Helmick, E. E. & Bahder, B. W. (2025). A new species of Cyclopoliarus (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae) from American oil palms (Elaeis oleifera) in Caño Negro, Costa Rica. Zootaxa, 5584(4), 523–538. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5584.4.4
7. Nartey, R., Chamorro, L., Buffington, M., Afrane, Y. A., Mohammed, A. R., Owusu-Asenso, C. M., Akosah-Brempong, G., Pambit-Zong, C. M., Hendrix, S. V., Dao, A., Yaro, A. S., Diallo, M., Sanogo, Z. L., Djibril, S., Halbert, S. E., Bamou, R., Nance, C. E., Bartlett, C. R., Reynolds, D. R., Chapman, J. W., Obiri-Danso, K., Lehmann, T. (2024). Invasion and spread of the neotropical leafhopper Curtara insularis (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae) in Africa and North America and the role of high-altitude windborne migration in invasive insects. NeoBiota 96: 173-189. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.96.130615
6. Hendrix, S. V., Bartlett, C. R., Bourgoin, T., & Leavengood Jr, J. M. (2024). A new species of planthopper in the genus Mnemosyne Stål (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae) from Paraguay. Boletín del Museo Nacional de Historia Natural del Paraguay. 28(1):3-13.
5. Hendrix, S. V., & Bartlett, C. R. (2024b). On the genus-level placement of Oliarus beebei Metcalf 1945 (Hemiptera: Cixiidae). Entomological News, 131(1), 56-60. http://dx.doi.org/10.3157/021.131.0107
4. Hendrix, S. V., & Bartlett, C. R. (2024a). Redescription and revised genus placement of Oliarus pinicolus Osborn, 1926, with notes on Antillean Pentastirini (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae). Zootaxa, 5405(2), 209-226. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5405.2.3
3. Hendrix, S. V., & Bartlett, C. R. (2023). On the status of Otiocerus coquebertii rubidus Osborn 1938 (Derbidae: Otiocerinae: Otiocerini). Entomological News, 130(4), 391-396. http://dx.doi.org/10.3157/021.130.0409
2. Myrie, W., Beekham, A., Baksh, A., Parris, J., Shah, F., Bartlett, C.R., Helmick, E.E., Hendrix, S. and Bahder, B.W., (2023). A new species of planthopper in the genus Melanoliarus (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Fulgoroidea: Cixiidae) from coconut palms (Cocos nucifera) in Trinidad. Zootaxa, 5271(2), 253-270. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5271.2.3
1. Kittelberger, K. D., Hendrix, S. V., & Şekercioğlu, Ç. H. (2021). The value of citizen science in increasing our knowledge of under-sampled biodiversity: an overview of public documentation of Auchenorrhyncha and the hoppers of North Carolina. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 9: 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2021.710396
community science.
Before I knew I’d initiated my academic trajectory, I was deeply involved on community science boards. My experience with community science as a foundation of my entomological journey has granted me a significant appreciation for the power of public participation in research.
Utilizing community-collected data has been crucial to much of my taxonomic work. I am a curator on iNaturalist.org and a contributing editor on BugGuide.net, where I make insect identifications and write informational guides. Beyond disseminating taxonomic and identification information, I arrange outreach events and bioblitzes for monitoring insect diversity.
See a featured article about the University of Delaware Insect Research Collection here.
life history.
In addition to my taxonomic work, I have a great interest in the ecology of true hoppers. While my work is largely descriptive (vs. experimental), there is significant descriptive work to be done for true hoppers from a life history standpoint. My most relevant work concerns describing true hopper-ant interactions, host plant records, and associating nymphal forms with adults.
True hoppers are known for their interesting and sometimes bizarre life histories. Some species are obligately cavernicolous, spending their entire lives in the darkness of caves. Some exhibit mutualisms with ants and other insects. Others exhibit maternal care. Some produce silk. And others may be entirely submerged in frozen saltmarshes. Nearly all true hoppers communicate through airborne or vibrational communication.
