Nocaracris tunceli Unal, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Ünal, Mustafa
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Orthoptera
Pamphagidae
Nocaracris
Nocaracris tunceli

description: Nocaracris tunceli Ünal, sp. nov.
(Figs. 66, 532, 540, 554, 633–636, 843)
Paranocarodes sp.: Karabağ et al. 1980: 14.
Type locality. Turkey, Tunceli, Ovacık yolu 25 km. Holotype: male (AİBÜEM).
Material examined. TURKEY: Tunceli, Ovacık yolu 25. km, 12.7.1977, 1♂ (Holotype), 1♀ (AİBÜEM); Tunceli, Ovacık, Munzur Dağları, 17.7.1954, 1♀ (leg. T. Karabağ) (NHMUK); Elazığ, Buzluk civarı, 25.7.1954, 1♀ (leg. T. Karabağ) (NHMUK).
Description. Male (Holotype): Body (Figs. 633, 634) distinctly compressed laterally. Fastigium of vertex (Fig. 554) short and broad, slightly depressed and horizontal. Frontal ridge indistinctly narrowed just below the median ocellus, with a shallow and thin frontal groove. Vertex (Fig. 554) narrow, 1.3 times narrower than vertical diameter and 1.06 times narrower than transversal diameter of eye; carinulae distinct; supraocular foveola semiclosed; median carinula grooved and long, reaching to half of fastigium; vertex almost flat, not swollen, slightly convex in lateral view. Antennae with 14 segments. Pronotum (Figs. 554, 633) compressed laterally, with weak lateral carinae anteriorly, more distinct in posterior part; median carina slightly raised with a very distinct longitudinal sulcus along its length, widened anteriorly; slightly convex in lateral view; anterior margin narrowly convex, posterior margin straight. Prosternum pointed and swollen, with a sharp, narrow triangular median projection. Mesosternal interspace 2 times wider than its length and distinctly narrower than mesosternal lobes. Mesonotum and metanotum with slightly raised and grooved median carinae. Hind femur (Fig. 633) 2.7 times longer than its height, dorsal and ventral margins regularly convex and gradually narrowing backwards; its widest point just before the middle; dorsal margin very finelly serrated. Hind tibia with 9 inner, 10 outer spines. Abdominal tergites (Figs. 633, 634) simple, median carinae slightly raised, but not protruded posteriorly. Tympanum small but distinct, slightly smaller than the neighbour stigmal area. Arch of zygoma wide, rounded basally; posterior lobes of zygoma narrow, slightly elongated; apodemes wide with weak apical notch (Figs. 66 a, b); pseudolophi (Fig. 66 c) close with 16–18 spines. Female: Body (Figs. 635, 636) compressed laterally. Fastigium of vertex short, broad, flat and horizontal. Frontal ridge as in male. Vertex 1.04 times narrower than vertical diameter and 1.25 times wider than transversal diameter of eye; carinulae distinct; supraocular foveola closed type; vertex slightly swollen and convex in lateral view. Pronotum (Figs. 540, 635) distinctly compressed laterally, with distinct lateral carinae; median carina raised with a thin longitudinal sulcus widened in anterior part. Prosternum with a tongue-shaped median projection. Mesosternal interspace 2.5 times wider than its length and clearly narrower than mesosternal lobes. Hind femur (Fig. 635) 3.1 times longer than its height, dorsal margin almost straight, ventral margin distinctly convex. Hind tibia as in male. Abdomen (Figs. 635, 636) compressed laterally, abdominal tergites with slightly raised median carina, with a small posterior projection, but never surpassing beyond the tergite. Tympanum (Fig. 532) distinct, slightly smaller than the neighbour stigmal area. Subgenital plate longer than wide.
Coloration. Male: Body brown with yellowish pattern. Dorsal surface of head, behind of eyes greyish-brown; frontal surface including the first 2 segments of antenna yellowish light brown. Typical light bands on paranota distinct and yellowish. All legs lightened, yellow or yellowish light brown. Inner surface of hind femur yellowish with red tinge, ventral surface yellowish with reddish inner half. Hind tibia completely lemon yellow with the black tipped spines; apical end of tibia with a small red spot dorsally. Tarsus red. Typical light band on abdomen weak. All sternites pale yellow. Female: Body creamish light brown, abdomen slightly darker. Inner and ventral surfaces of hind femur mainly yellow with red tinge as in male; dorsal surface of genicular lobes with bluish spots. Inner surface of hind tibia yellow, dorsal surface, between the spines and base of tibia bluish-green, all spines yellow with brown tips; apical end of tbia with a small red spot dorsally. Tarsus dark red. Sternites yellow. In one female inner side of hind femur blackened; inner half of ventral surface of hind femur more distinctly red; inner and dorsal surfaces of hind tibia blue with yellow spines.
Diagnosis. This new species is most related to N. rimansonae (Uvarov) and N. kosswigi (Karabağ) by the clearly compressed body, the raised median carinae of pronotum and abdominal tergites, the small tympanum and the shape of pronotum. It is different from N. rimansonae by the short, wide, less depressed and horizontal fastigium (elongated, more depressed and sloping in N. rimansonae), the pronotum with weak lateral carinae and less raised median carina (lateral carinae sharply raised and well developed; median carina strongly raised and clearly more convex in lateral view in N. rimansonae), the small tympanum, slightly smaller than the neighbour stigmal area (absent or visible a smaller tympanum, half of the neighbour stigmal area in the male syntype of N. rimansonae; no important difference in females), the shape of hind femur with smaller dorsal denticles (dorsal margin of hind femur distinctly more serrated with larger denticles in N. rimansonae) and the hind leg coloration (hind tibia distinctly red in both sexes of N. rimansonae). The size of tympanum of the new species is similar to N. kosswigi (slightly smaller than the neighbour stigmal area in the holotype of N. kosswigi). But, it is different from N. kosswigi by the short, wide and less depressed fastigium (elongated and more depressed in N. kosswigi), the pronotum with weak lateral carinae and less raised median carina (lateral carinae sharply raised and well developed; median carina strongly raised and clearly more convex in lateral view in N. kosswigi), the shape of hind femur with smaller dorsal denticles (dorsal margin of hind femur distinctly more serrated with larger denticles in N. kosswigi) and the hind leg coloration (inner surface of hind tibia bluish-black in male, blue or blackish-blue in female including spines in N. kosswigi).
Measurements (mm). Holotype (male): body length 23.5; pronotum length 4.5; pronotum height 4.9; pronotum width anterior 4.6; pronotum width posterior 5.9; hind femur length 9.6; hind femur height 3.6. Paratypes: body length: female 36–40; pronotum length: female 7.4–8.3; pronotum height: female 8.7–9.5; pronotum width anterior: female 6.5–7.2; pronotum width posterior: female 9–10.3; hind femur length: female 12.6–14.8; hind femur height: female 4.5–5.2.
Etymology. “ Tunceli ” Province of Turkey is the type locality of this new species.
description: Published as part of Ünal, Mustafa, 2016, Pamphagidae (Orthoptera: Acridoidea) from the Palaearctic Region: taxonomy, classification, keys to genera and a review of the tribe Nocarodeini I. Bolívar, pp. 1-223 in Zootaxa 4206 (1) on pages 146-147, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4206.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/208260