Ciminius sesamum, Alasmar & Domahovski & Cavichioli, 2025

Alasmar, Luísa, Domahovski, Alexandre Cruz & Cavichioli, Rodney Ramiro, 2025, Morphological-based phylogeny and revision of Ciminius Metcalf and Bruner, 1936 (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae), Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny 83, pp. 231-285 : 231-285

Ciminius sesamum sp. nov.

Figures 25 , 26 , 27 , 30E, F , 51

Diagnosis.

Coloration pale-yellow (Figs 25 , 30E, F , 51 ) or black (only males) (Fig. 25 A – C ). Black males (Fig. 25 A – C ) usually without yellowish marks, when present, restricted to pronotum lateral margins and posteriorly to mesonotum transversal sulcus. Aedeagus (Fig. 25 G, H ) ventral margin serrated; apex expanded forming a hood-like structure. Paraphysis (Figs 25 I, J ) directed posterodorsally, rectilinear, dorsal and ventral margins subparallel.

Description.

Measurements: Total length: holotype male 3.6 mm; paratypes, males (n = 19) 3.4–3.8 mm; paratypes, females (n = 20) 3.7–4.1 mm. — Head and Thorax: Crown (Figs 25 A , 26 A , 30 E , 51 A, D ), in dorsal view, slightly produced, anterior margin subtriangular; median length from 1 / 4 to 1 / 3 of intraocular width, and from 2 / 5 to 1 / 2 of transocular width. Ocelli located slightly before the imaginary line between anterior eye angles. Pronotum width approximately equal to transocular width. Other features as in generic description. — Coloration: Crown and pronotum (Fig. 25 A, B ) often entirely black, rarely with smooth paler areas, arched laterally on pronotum. Face (Fig. 25 C ) with a yellow band between eyes and frontogenal suture, sometimes surpassing suture, forming a smoky band on frons, yellow marks on muscular impressions, often with a yellow longitudinal band medially. Clypeus black. Gena and lorum yellowed. Mesonotum (Fig. 25 A ) black anteriorly to transversal sulcus and yellow posteriorly. Forewings (Fig. 25 A, B ) veins dark. Legs yellow. Abdomen, in lateral view, blackened, bordered with yellow. Males, rarely pale-yellow like the females (Fig. 26 ), mostly with overall coloration black (Fig. 25 A – C ). Females with overall coloration pale-yellow (Figs 30 E, F , 51 ), with features as described in C. albolineatus . — Male terminalia: Pygofer (Fig. 25 D ), in lateral view, posterior margin rounded, slightly narrowed apically. Subgenital plate (Fig. 25 D ), in lateral view, slightly surpassing half-length of pygofer. Valve (Fig. 25 E ), in ventral view, margins subparallel, lateral margins subacute anteriorly. Style (Fig. 25 F ), in dorsal view, without dentate process preapically. Aedeagus (Fig. 25 G, H ), in lateral view, shaft slightly protuberant, ventral margin anterior two-thirds serrated, apical portion not dentate, expanded, apex rounded, forming a hood-like structure. Paraphysis (Fig. 25 I, J ), in lateral view, directed posterodorsally, rectilinear, reaching pygofer apical third, dorsal and ventral margins subparallel, apex from acute to subacute. Other features as in generic description. — Female genitalia: Sternite VII (Fig. 27 A – C ), in ventral view, 2 × wider than long, posterior margin with a distinctly median lobe. Valvula II (Fig. 27 F – H ) blade with 18 continuous subtriangular serrated teeth, with a distinct gap in anterior margin of teeth. Other features (Fig. 27 D, E, I, J ) as in genus description.

Material examined.

Holotype: BRAZIL – Paraná • ♂; São José dos Pinhais ; 25°36’18’’S, 49°11’37’’W; 880 m; 08–22 Apr. 2017; A. C. Domahovski leg.; sweep; DZUP . — Paratypes: BRAZIL – Paraná • 11 ♂♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; DZUP • 3 ♂♂ same collection data as for holotype; MNRJ • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; 07–21 Jan. 2017; DZUP • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; USNM • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 25–28 Feb. 2017; DZUP • 3 ♂♂; same collection data as for preceding; USNM • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; 23 Mar. 2017; DZUP • 5 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 02–05 Mar. 2019; DZUP • 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; MNRJ • 4 ♂♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; DZRJ • 2 ♂♂; same collection data as for preceding; 01–31 Mar. 2021; DZUP • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; 01–30 Nov. 2022; USNM • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; DZUP • 10 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; Curitiba, Centro Politécnico, UFPR , grasslands near to Biológicas department; 20–25 Jan. 2022; A. C. Domahovski & L. Alasmar leg.; sweep; DZUP • 2 ♂♂ same collection data as for preceding; MNRJ • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; Dec. 2022; DZUP • 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; DZRJ • 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; USNM .

Etymology.

The word “ sesamum ” is from Latin and means “ of sesame ”, an allusion to the overall aspect of this species: small, robust, and blackened or yellowed, resembling sesame seeds. This is a noun in apposition.

Remarks.

Ciminius sesamum sp. nov. resemble externally to other black males of the genus: C. hartii , C. yana , C. albolineatus , and C. dissidens sp. nov., however, C. sesamum sp. nov. have a more homogeneous black aspect, with indistinct or faint yellow marks along the crown and pronotum. The only constant yellow mark is in the posterior half of the mesonotum. In the aedeagus, C. sesamum sp. nov. can be distinguished from C. yana due to absence of a lobate distinct process on dorsal margin, distinguished from C. hartii and C. albolineatus due to the aedeagus bearing the ventral margin serrated, and from C. dissidens sp. nov., due the aedeagus not strongly widened in lateral view. In the locality of Centro Politécnico, mostly females presented a submacroptery condition (Fig. 50 ), which is discussed furthermore.

Figures

Figure 25. Ciminius sesamum sp. nov., male holotype. A habitus, dorsal view; B habitus, lateral view; C head, frontal view; D pygofer, valve and subgenital plate, lateral view; E valve and subgenital plates, ventral view; F connective and style, ventral view; G aedeagus, lateral view; H aedeagus, caudoventral view; I connective, stem and paraphysis, lateral view; J paraphysis, dorsal view. Scale bars in mm.

Figure 26. Ciminius sesamum sp. nov., color variation in male, habitus. A dorsal view; B frontal view.

Figure 27. Ciminius sesamum sp. nov., female paratype. A distal portion of abdomen, ventral view; B distal portion of abdomen, lateral view; C sternite VII, ventral view; D first valvifer and first valvula, lateral view; E apical portion of first valvula; F second valvula, lateral view; G median portion of second valvula; H apical portion of second valvula; I second valvifer and gonoplac, lateral view; J apical portion of gonoplac. Scale bars in mm.

Figure 30. Ciminius females habitus, dorsal and frontal view, respectively. A, B C. autumnalis sp. nov.; C, D C. dissidens sp. nov.; E, F C. sesamum sp. nov. Scale bars in mm.

Figure 50. Records of parasitism by Strepsiptera in Ciminius. A C. platensis superparasitized, in ventral view; B C. platensis superparasitized, with abdomen clarified, in ventral view; C female of Ciminius dissidens sp. nov., in lateral view.

Figure 51. Ciminius sesamum sp. nov. female, dorsal and lateral habitus, terminalia in ventral view, respectively. A – C Specimen with submacropterous condition; D – F macropterous specimen. Scale bars in mm.