Tegotettix needs to be divided into at least three genera

The genus Tegotettix is composed out of three groups that are probably monophyletic, but the genus itself is likely polyphyletic. Members of the T. armatus species group show typical Scelimeninae characters, such as low position of the antennal grooves and frontal costa bifurcation (Muhammad et al. 2018), whereas members of the T. cristiferus species group show typical “Asian Metrodorinae ” (Xistra -like) traits, such as V-shaped carinae of the vertex, humeral angles that are not armed, and high position of the frontal costa bifurcation. The T. novaeguineae species group shows intermediate characters, between the above mentioned two groups, and likely represents a specialized Scelimenin clade which evolved far away from other congeners. Thus, in the future, Tegotettix could be divided into three separate genera.

Some members of the genus Tegotettix (e.g., T. corniculatus and T. sagittarius (see classification by Bolívar 1887), T. cristiferus (see classification by Günther 1935)), were previously assigned to Xistra, which indicates that these authors have already recognized that they resemble certain “Asian Metrodorinae ”. Other species were however included in Gavialidium (e.g. T. tuberculatus (see classification by Bolívar 1887), T. bufocrocodil (see classification by Storozhenko & Dawwrueng 2015)), which is a typical Scelimenini genus (Muhammad et al. 2018). Again, these facts points out that the polyphyletic nature of the genus was previously known and recognized by researchers.