Nocaracris tauricola Ramme 1951
Creators: name: Ünal, Mustafa
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Orthoptera
Pamphagidae
Nocaracris
Nocaracris tauricola

description: Nocaracris tauricola Ramme, 1951
(Figs. 34–36, 40–54)
Material examined. Mersin Prov., Bolkar Dağları, Tırtar Köyü, Dümbelek düzü mevkii, 37.03.625 N, 34.16.757 E, 2375 m, 26.6.2019, 2 females, 27.6.2019, 5 males, 3 females, plus 2 males, 1 female in alcohol (leg. M. Ünal) (AİBÜEM).
Description of Male. Body (Figs. 34, 40–42) stout, compressed laterally as in the members of N. bodenheimeri subgroup. Fastigium of vertex (Figs. 46–47) slightly depressed, sloping. Vertex between the eyes 1.1 times nar rower than vertical diameter of eye and slightly wider (1.07 times) wider than transversal diameter of eye. Eye 1.2 times longer than wide. Supra-ocular foveola distinct, closed type. Frontal ridge distinctly (deeply) grooved, regularly widening towards clypeus, indistinctly narrowed just below the median ocellus. Antennae with 12 segments. Pronotum (Figs. 46–47) slightly compressed laterally, with distinct lateral carinae; median carina raised slightly convex in lateral view, with longitudinal sulcus slightly narrowing backwards; the area between median and lateral carinae very shallowly depressed, so it is seen a little bit swollen. Prosternum raised, with tongue shapes median projection which is more sharp and more pointed in some males. Mesosternal interspace (Fig. 50) two times wider than long, clearly narrower than mesosternal lobes. Hind femur (Figs. 40–42) 2.4–2.5 times longer than its height, basal part widened and sharply narrowed in preapical part. Hind tibia with 8–9 inner, and 9–10 outer spines. All legs especially hind tibia broad. Abdomen (Figs. 40–42) slightly depressed dorso ventrally with weak lateral carinae and with distinct but not raised median carina; meso- and metasternae of pronotum and first 2 abdominal tergites wide which are seen slightly swollen as in pronotum. Tympanum as large as the neighbour stigmal area or slightly smaller in some males. Phallus (Figs. 53–54) elongated; arch of zygoma narrow and not raised; posterior lobes of zygoma short, wide, clearly swollen; tumida of zygoma short and blunt; apodemes wide with very distinct apical notch; basal valves of penis very wide; pseudolophi on epiphallus separated, with 10–13 spines (Fig. 52).
Colouration. Body various shades of brown with some black, milky brown, cream stains, spots, and bands, in some males body more greyish brown. Dorsal half of head, between lateral and median carinae of pronotum, meso- and metasternae of pronotum and the first abdominal tergite brown with small irregular black spots. Frontal ridge with 3 short black bands, between them creamish brown which colour reaching to gena. Antennae, except the creamish brown first 3 segments, brown. Paranota with a large cream spot near to anterior part and with the typical light bands on anterior and posterior margins. Fore and mid legs light brown, with black spots only on femora. Hind femur milky brown, with small irregular black spots on outer surface; inner surface black except reddish-cream upper margin; ventral surface black with red outer margin. Inner, dorsal, and ventral surfaces of hind tibia including inner spines completely black; outer surface and outer spines from light to darker brownish cream; tips of outer spines brown. Hind tarsus red. Typical light band on abdomen distinct, milky brown; lateral surface of abdomen brown. Subgenital plate and anterior parts of abdominal sternites dark brown, broader posterior parts creamish milky brown.
Redescription of female. Body and pronotum (Figs. 35, 43–45) relatively less compressed laterally in N. bodenheimeri subgroup. Head (Figs. 48–49) large and protruding forward comparing the members of subgroup. Fastigium of vertex (Figs. 48–49) strongly sloping and depressed; Vertex between the eyes 1.13 times wider than vertical diameter of eye and 1.3 times wider than transversal diameter of eye; strongly convex with a grooved median carinula; supraocular foveola distinct, almost closed. Eye 1.1 times longer than wide.Antennae with 12–13 segments. Prosternum (Fig. 51) distinctly raised with a narrow or wider tongue shaped median projection, not pointed sharply. Mesosternal interspace (Fig. 51) very wide, 3 times wider than its height and 1.5 times wider than mesosternal lobes. Tympanum practically absent, but in some females a vestigial one much smaller than the neighbour stigmal area. Abdominal tergites as in male. Hind femur (Figs. 43–45) 2.6–2.7 times longer than its height. Hind tibia with 9–10 inner and outer spines. Subgenital plate almost as long as wide, in some females slightly longer.
Colouration of female. Body greyish brown, in some females lighter greyish, with black, brown, and milky brown spots, stains and parts. Head mostly milky brown with black spots on vertex and frontal ridge. Eyes greyish light brown, the area around lateral ocelli blackened. Basal segments of antenna milky brown regularly darkening towards apex to blackish brown. Pronotum and abdomen greyish brown to brown with black spots and light milky brown stains on lateral surface of abdomen; typical light bands on paranota distinct on anterior and posterior margins. Fore and mid legs milky brown, darker in some females with irregular black spots. Hind legs as in male. Thoracic and abdominal sternites light brown, in some females, anterior margin of sternites with weak black or dark brown stains.
Measurements (mm). Body length: male 20.1–22, female 33–37.5; pronotum length: male 4.7–4.8, female 6.7–7.2; pronotum height: male 4.8–5.3, female 7.7–8.6; pronotum width anterior: male 4.7–5, female 7.1–7.5; pronotum width posterior: male 6.6–6.9, female 10.1–10.7; hind femur length: male 9–9.2, female 12.1–13; hind femur height: male 3.6–3.9, female 4.7–5.
Remarks. Nocaracris tauricola and its synonym N. rigidus were described by Ramme (1951) and Mistschenko (1951), respectively. The type specimens, all of which are females, were collected much earlier, in 1895 and 1904 by M. Holtz and W. Siehe from the same place Cilician Taurus (Bolkar Dağları) (Ünal 2016). It has not been found again for 119 years. Ongoing extensive field trips this species was found after a century and the male sex for the first time. The type locality is a typical mountain steppe on stony and rocky ground in the alpine region of Bolkar Mountains. Because of the habitat destruction around the type locality by the heavy grazing it is found only from the restricted area near a summit. Therefore, it was not easy to find it. This may be the reason why this species could not be found in the previous trips to these Mountains. But it is the fact that finding the correct point (Fig. 36), not only in the huge mountain ridge but also in the type locality (Dümbelek), was the most important reason for the rediscovery of this species.
The N. bodenheimeri sp. group is divided into two subgroups, N. burri subgroup (see the diagnosis of the new species, N. nebulosa, above) and N. bodenheimeri subgroup by the item 14 of the key in Ünal (2016: 133). This species is a member of the N. bodenheimeri subgroup, which is composed of N. bodenheimeri (Uvarov, 1940), N. idrisi (Karabağ, 1953), N. cejchani Ünal, 2016, N. cinerascens Ramme, 1951 and N. tauricola Ramme, 1951.
This species was separated from all other species of the group by the large and protruding head of the female (Ünal 2016). This relationship was also confirmed on the basis of the male sex. It can be compared with two related and geographically near species, N. bodemheimeri (Uvarov, 1940) and N. cejchani Ünal, 2016. It is different from these two species by the stouter body and legs (clearly more slender, and especially legs and hind tibia thinner in N. bodenheimeri and N. cejchani), the sloping fastigium of vertex (flat and straight in N. bodenheimeri, but more sloping in N. cejchani), the grooved frontal ridge indistinctly narrowing just below median ocellus (in N. bodemheimeri deeply grooved, but distinctly narrowed below the median ocellus; in N. cejchani shallow groove and slightly narrowed below the ocellus), the slightly compressed pronotum laterally with less raised median carina and the less depressed area between the median and lateral carinae, so it is seen a little bit swollen (distinctly more compressed pronotum and more raised median carina, and the area between the median and lateral carinae clearly more depressed in N. bodenheimeri and N. cejchani), the prosternum similar to N. bodenheimeri, but collar shaped in N. cejchani, the hind femur widened in basal part and sharply narrowing towards genicular lobes (regularly narrowing in N. bodenheimeri and N. cejchani), the wide abdomen, slightly depressed dorsoventrally with less distinct carinae (abdomen distinctly more compressed laterally, median and lateral carinae of abdomen raised, clearly more distinct in N. bodenheimeri and N. cejchani), the tympanum (absent in N. bodenheimeri and strongly reduced, a vestigial one much smaller than the neighbour stigmal area in N. cejchani), the narrow and not raised arch of zygoma (narrow and raised in N. bodenheimeri, wider and not raised in N. cejchani), the wide apodemes with very distinct apical notch (apodemes narrower and with weak apical notch in N. bodenheimeri; apodemes narrow and distinct apical notch in N. cejchani) and, the larger male size.
description: Published as part of Ünal, Mustafa, 2023, Recent findings of Pamphagidae (Orthoptera: Acridoidea) from Turkey, pp. 538-552 in Zootaxa 5277 (3) on pages 546-549, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5277.3.6, http://zenodo.org/record/7890181