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

description: Genus: Turkanocaracris Ünal, gen. nov.
Type species. Turkanocaracris levigatus Ünal, sp. nov.
Description. Body (Figs. 727–730) strongly depressed dorso-ventrally, apterous. Head (Figs. 735, 738) widened, almost 1.2 times higher than its width in frontal view. Frontal ridge (Figs. 735, 738) relatively broad with a shallow and short frontal groove; not narrowing below the median ocellus; almost flat around the median ocellus and the below part of frons. Frons slightly sloping backwards. Fastigium of vertex (Figs. 731, 732, 736, 737) flat, distinctly sloping, roundly connecting to frontal ridge. Vertex (Figs. 731, 732, 736, 737) completely smooth, no any carinulae, tubercles, granules or grooves, therefore no any foveolae; vertex quite broad as wide as vertical diameter of eye in male and clearly wider in female. Eye broad, suboval, only 1.1 times longer than wide. Pronotum (Figs. 731, 732, 736, 737) depressed dorso-ventrally, almost cylindrical, with small tubercles; without lateral carinae; median carinae very weak, never raised, with a very thin longitudinal sulcus in equal width along its length; pronotum not intersected by a transversal groove. Mesonotum and metanotum with very weak, not grooved median carinae. Prosternum (Figs. 734, 740) very slightly raised, anterior margin slightly convex or almost straight and wide, no any projection. Dorsal surfaces of all legs smooth. Mid tibia without tubercles along its dorsal side. Hind femur (Figs. 727, 729) without preapical notch, dorsal margin not serrated. Arolium hardly visible, very short and narrow. Abdominal tergites (Figs. 727–730) simple, with very weak median carina, never raised and not protruded posteriorly; lateral carinae absent. Tympanum (Figs. 733, 739) practically absent or visible a vestigial one, smaller than the neighbour stigmal area. Arch of zygoma strongly raised, higher than posterior lobes of zygoma; apical end clearly widened; apical valves of penis not covered by the sheath of penis; its ventral margin not turning to lateral side, pointed at apex (Figs. 79 a, b, d); ancorae on epiphallus small and slender (Fig. 79 c).
Diagnosis. This new genus is easily recognizable by the strongly depressed body dorso-ventrally, the widened and smooth head without any carinulae, tubercles and foveolae, the straight prosternum (not raised), the smooth legs, the practically absence of tympanum and the structure of phallic complex. It is most related to Nocaracris Uvarov. But which is different by the wider head, the smooth vertex (always with some carinulae, tubercles and granules in Nocaracris), the absence of foveolae (supraocellar and supraocular foveloa always present in Nocaracris), the shape of apical valves of penis, its ventral margins not turn to lateral sides (ventral margins always turn to lateral sides in Nocaracris), the uncovered ventral part of apical valves of penis (the sheath of penis always covering the ventral part of the apical valves of penis in Nocaracris). The strongly depressed body shape and the smooth vertex are similar to the genus Neoparanothrotes Mirzayans. But it is distinctly different by the absence of tympanum (with a large tympanum in Neoparanothrotes), the wide and straight prosternum (prosternum pointed in Neoparanothrotes), the smaller body (very large in Neoparanothrotes) and the structure of phallic complex.
Etymology. The genus name “ Turkanocaracris ” is derived from the nearest genus Nocaracris and the origin country of this endemic genus, Turkey.
Remarks. The type species of this new genus, Turkanocaracris levigatus sp. nov. shares the type locality, Başkale Dağı, with Nocaracris van sp. nov. and the other species of the genus, Turkanocaracris davisi sp. nov. shares its type locality, Kavuşşahap Dağ, with Nocaracris monticolus sp. nov. It is clear that the natural history and the environmental conditions in both Mountains similarly affected the populations of the genera Nocaracris and Turkanocaracris.
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 184-185, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4206.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/208260