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

description: Nocaracris dilekensis Ünal, sp. nov.
(Figs. 529, 603, 701–702, 845)
Type locality. Turkey: Aydın, Dilek Yarımadası. Holotype: female (AİBÜEM).
Material examined. TURKEY: Aydın, Söke, Dilek Yarımadası, 1220 m, 19.5.2004, 4♀ (including Holotype) (leg. M. Ünal) (AİBÜEM).
Description. Female (Holotype): Body (Figs. 701, 702) clearly compressed laterally. Fastigium of vertex (Figs. 529,701) slightly elongated, flat and horizontal. Frontal ridge narrow, with shallow frontal groove; indistinctly narrower just below the median ocellus. Vertex (Fig. 529) distinctly swollen, convex in lateral view, with weak carinulae; supraocular foveola open type; median carinulae slightly wavy, weakly grooved; vertex between the eyes 1.1 times narrower than vertical diameter and 1.2 times wider than transversal diameter of eye. Antennae with 12 segments. Pronotum (Figs. 529, 701, 702) clearly compressed laterally, lateral carinae almost absent; median carina very slightly raised with a very thin and weak longitudinal sulcus, only distinct at anterior end; pronotum short and high, distinctly roof-shaped; anterior margin narrowly convex, posterior margin slightly convex with a median notch. Anterior margin of prosternum pointed, raised, with a sharp triangular median projection. Mesosternal interspace 2.5 times wider than its length and slightly narrower than mesosternal lobes. Mesonotum and metanotum with slightly grooved median carinae. Hind femur (Fig. 701) 2.8 times longer than its height, dorsal margin finelly serrate, slightly convex in lateral view; ventral margin distinctly more convex. Hind tibia with 9 inner, 9–10 outer spines. Abdominal tergites (Figs. 701, 702) with slightly raised median carina, not protruded posteriorly, in one female, with a small projection only on the first tergite, not surpassing the hind margin of tergite. Tympanum (Fig. 603) very distinct, slightly smaller than the neighbour stigmal area. Subgenital plate slightly longer than wide.
Male: unknown.
Coloration. Body unicolor light creamish-brown, darker or greyish-brown in paratypes. Antenna creamishbrown. Eyes greyish. Typical light bands on paranota very narrow yellowish. Inner surface of hind femur black, its dorsal margin and apical end body color; inner part of ventral surfaces black, outer part body color; dorsal surface of genicular lobes with small blue spots, inner side of dorsal genicular lobe darkened with brown. Inner and dorsal surfaces of hind tibia yellowish with weak blue spots or stains, more distinct dorsally; spines yellowish; distal part of inner surface with indistinctly red tinge; apical end of tibia with a small red spot dorsally; in some females inner surface of tibia pale, light blue. Inner half of tarsus red, remaining parts body color.
Diagnosis. This new species is most related to N. bicoloripes (Uvarov) and N. citripes (Uvarov) by the strongly compressed body, the roof-shaped pronotum without lateral carinae, and somewhat the bluish hind tibia with N. bicoloripes. But it is different from them by the presence of a distinct small tympanum (absent in these two species), clearly larger and higher body, the hind tibia colors, yellowish with blue stains, pale light blue in some specimens (dark indigo blue in female of N. bicoloripes, and bright lemon yellow without blue in N. citripes). The new species has a small tympanum like N. furvus (Mistshenko) s.l. But its tympanum clearly smaller than that of N. furvus and all the other characters are very different such as the general body shape, the structures of pronotum, prosternum, the coloration including hind legs (see the key).
Measurements (mm). Holotype (Female): body length 40.8; pronotum length 8.5; pronotum height 9.6; pronotum width anterior 7.5; pronotum width posterior 10.4; hind femur length 14.7; hind femur height 5.3. Paratypes: body length: female 37–40.8; pronotum length: female 8.2–8.8; pronotum height: female 9.6–10.8; pronotum width anterior: female 7.2–7.7; pronotum width posterior: female 10.4–10.7; hind femur length: female 14.7–15.2; hind femur height: female 5.1–5.3.
Etymology. “Dilek” Peninsula (Aydın 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 173-174, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4206.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/208260