Nocaracris nebulosa Unal 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Ünal, Mustafa
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Orthoptera
Pamphagidae
Nocaracris
Nocaracris nebulosa

description: Nocaracris nebulosa Ünal, sp. nov.
(Figs. 14–31)
Type locality. Turkey: Mersin, Anamur, Taşeli Platosu. Holotype: male (AİBÜEM).
Material examined. Mersin Prov., Anamur, Taşeli Platosu, above Kaşpazarı Yaylası, 36.20.851 N, 32.35.189 E, 2215 m, 30.06.2018, 1 male (Holotype), 3 males, 3 females (Paratypes); 2165 m, 1 male, 2 females (Paratypes); 36.22.568 N, 32.35.551 E, 2165 m, 22.09.2017, 1 male (subadult), 2 females (nymph) (Paratypes) (leg. M. Ünal) (AİBÜEM).
Description. Male (Holotype). Body (Figs. 14, 17–19) relatively depressed dorso-ventrally. Fastigium of vertex (Figs. 23–24) narrow, slightly long, depressed and sloping; vertex with distinct carinulae; vertex 1.24 times narrower than vertical diameter and as wide as transversal diameter of eye; supra-ocular foveola distinct, semiclosed, but in paratypes open type. Frontal ridge regularly divergent along its length, but slightly narrowed just below the median ocellus.Antennae with 12 segments. Pronotum (Figs. 23–24) slightly compressed laterally, with weak lateral carinae, in paratypes lateral carinae more distinct; median carina slightly raised, with a very narrow median sulcus along its length, of which anterior part wider; convex in lateral view; anterior and posterior margins convex in dorsal view. Prosternum raised, with 3 projections, middle one plate shaped, truncated, but in other males, middle projection longer blunt tongue shaped. Mesosternal interspace (Fig. 27) two times wider than its length and 1.3 times narrower than mesosternal lobes. Hind femur (Figs. 17–19) narrow, 2.6 times longer than its height, regularly narrowing towards apex, without preapical notch; dorsal margin with fine denticles. Hind tibia with 9 inner, 10 outer dorsal spines. Median carina of meso- and metanota, and lateral carinae of metanotum distinct. Abdominal tergites (Fig. 17) simple, median carinae of all tergites and lateral carinae of the first 4–5 tergites distinct. Tympanum practically absent, but in some males a vestigial tympanum smaller than the neighbour stigmal area present. Phallic complex (Figs. 30–31): Arch of zygoma wide and elongated; posterior lobes of zygoma long and narrow; tumida of zygoma very distinct, blunt, and truncated at apex; basal valves of penis wide; apodemes very wide with distinct apical notch; pseudolophi on epiphallus separated, with 15–16 spinules (Fig. 29).
Female. Body (Figs. 15, 20–22) as in male relatively depressed dorso-ventrally; pronotum (Figs. 25–26): lateral carinae of pronotum distinct, but in some females weaker; median carina slightly raised, with distinct longitudinal sulcus, wider in anterior part, sulcus weaker in some females; median carina convex in lateral view, straighter in some females; anterior margin convex, posterior margin almost straight. Fastigium of vertex (Figs. 25–26) short and narrow, sloping forward and depressed; vertex between the eyes 1.1 times wider than vertical diameter and 1.3 times wider than transversal diameter of eye. Eye 1.2 times longer than wide.Antennae with 12 segments. Prosternum (Fig. 28) raised, roundly triangular in the middle, but tongue shaped in the others and sharper in one female. Mesosternal interspace (Fig. 28) very wide, 3 times wider than its length and slightly wider than mesosternal lobes. Hind femur (Figs. 20–22) narrow, 2.7 times longer than its height, regularly narrowing towards apex, without preapical notch. Hind tibia with 9 inner, 9–10 outer spines. Subgenital plate as long as wide or slightly longer. Tympanum absent.
Colouration. Male. Body blackish brown with brown, milky brown stains and body parts. Head blackish brown with a wide milky brown band lying from the gena to the clypeus; frontal ridge with a narrow, milky brown transversal band just below the median ocellus. Antennae and eyes brown. Pronotum blackish brown with irregular brown stains on paranota; milky brown typical light bands on anterior and posterior margins narrow but distinct. Fore and mid legs brown with irregular blackish spots and stains. Hind femur milky brown with small black spots and stains, darker in apical part; inner surface of hind femur black, its upper margin with a longitudinal light red band from the base to the genicular lobes; ventral surface black, its outer margin pale red. Inner and ventral surfaces of hind tibia bright red except the blackened basal end; ventral side of inner surface of hind tibia with a weak (or distinct), thin black longitudinal band in some males; inner apical spurs and the tips of tibial spines black. Tarsus the same shade of red with tibia except the blackish claws and arolium. Typical light band on abdomen distinct which is milky brown. Anterior margins of abdominal sternites with dark brown band on both sides, remaining part milky brown but darker posteriorly.
Female. Body various shades of brown dark brown, light brown, greyish brown in individuals, with sparse small black spots and milky brown stains. Head milky brown ground with irregular light brown stains and small, sparse black spots. Pronotum light brown with sparse black spots and light stains; typical light band on paranota on both anterior and posterior sides distinct. Abdomen as in pronotum; typical light band on abdomen absent; last 4 tergites and ovipositor light, milky brown except the blackened margins of ovipositor. Fore and mid legs milky brown with some darker stains and black spots. Hind legs with milky brown outer surface; inner side of hind femur black with ivory upper margin and a short band just before genicular lobes which is weak reddish cream; ventral surface black in more than inner half, remaining both ends and outer side cream and reddish cream. Inner surface of hind tibia light pinkish red, slightly darker (red) in apical part, with a thin longitudinal black stripe which is not reaching to both end (black stripe more distinct, but weaker in other females), tibial spines yellow with black tips. Inner side of hind tarsus red. Abdominal sternites ivory.
Diagnosis. This new species is a member of the N. bodenheimeri sp. group by the usual form of hind femur, the distinct lateral carinae and the raised median carina of pronotum, the body shape not strongly compressed laterally. It is included in the N. burri subgroup (see Remarks section of N. tauricola below) which is composed of N. burri (Uvarov, 1949), N. sureyana Ramme, 1951, N. emirdagi Ünal, 2016 and N. tardus Ünal, Bugrov & Jetybayev, 2016 by the stout and large body size.
This new species is near to N. burri in the body shape with the most depressed dorso ventrally in the species subgroup, the narrow and more sloping fastigium of vertex and the shape of hind femur, but the structure of prosternum (sharper and pointed in N. burri), the less distinct and lower median carinae of pronotum, the wide mesosternal interspace (clearly narrower in N. burri), the colouration of hind tibia (in N. burri unicolour bright red including ventral, dorsal surfaces and the inner spines; the longitudinal black stripe absent), the weaker typical light bands on paranota and abdomen (they are the most sharply distinct in N. burri in the species subgroup), the structure of the male phallus with the raised and wide arch of zygoma, the narrower posterior lobes of zygoma and wider apodemes (distinctly narrow and not raised arch of zygoma; wider posterior lobes of zygoma and narrower apodemes in N. burri) are different.
It differs from N. sureyana by the slender and more depressed body and pronotum dorso ventrally (body stout, compressed laterally and pronotum high in lateral view in N. sureyana), the narrower and less depressed fastigium of vertex, the prosternum with tongue shaped median projection (raised almost triangular, collar shaped in N. sureyana), the red hind tibia mostly with a longitudinal black stripe on inner surface in both sexes (male hind tibia black, female hind tibia yellow or slightly orange without any longitudinal black stripe in N. sureyana), the shape of slender hind femur with regularly narrowing lateral view towards genicular lobes (hind femur stout, strongly widened basal part and sharply narrowed in preapical part in N. sureyana), the wider arch of zygoma (clearly narrower and not raised in N. sureyana), the narrower posterior lobes of zygoma.
The new species differs from N. emirdagi and N. tardus by the slender, smaller and clearly more depressed body and pronotum shape, the more distinct lateral carinae of pronotum, the narrower and more sloping fastigium of vertex, the prosternum with the tongue shaped median projection (collar shaped in N. emirdagi, irregularly sinuous, not pointed in N. tardus), the shape of slender and narrow hind femur (distinctly stouter, much wider basal part of hind femur in both related species), the colouration of hind tibia (hind tibia black in male and dark blue in female of N. tardus; orange red or dirty orange red, but without longitudinal black stripe in N. emirdagi), the red tarsus (also red in N. tardus; but cream in N. emirdagi). The phallus is different from N. emirdagi with the wider and raised arch of zygoma (narrower and not raised in N. emirdagi), the narrower posterior lobes of zygoma, the wider posterior valves of penis and wider apodemes. The distinct typical light bands on paranota (absent in N. emirdagi) are also different. The phallus is different from N. tardus with the raised and more elongated arch of zygoma (not raised in N. tardus).
The hind tibia colouration is similar to N. idrisi from N. Turkey with the orange-red ground and a longitudinal black stripe (at least in some specimens of N. idrisi). But the larger and more depressed body (smaller and clearly more compressed laterally in N. idrisi), the depressed fastigium of vertex, the wider and raised arch of zygoma, the narrow and long posterior lobes of zygoma (arch of zygoma narrower and not raised, posterior lobes of zygoma short and wide in N. idrisi), the wide apodemes with distinct apical notch (apodemes narrow and at most with a weak apical notch in N. idrisi) are different.
Measurements (mm). Holotype (male): body length 23; pronotum length 4.8; pronotum height 4.9; pronotum width anterior 4.7; pronotum width posterior 6.6; hind femur length 9; hind femur height 3.4. Paratype (female): body length 44; pronotum length 7.8; pronotum height 8.8; pronotum width anterior 7.5; pronotum width posterior 11.1; hind femur length 13.9; hind femur height 5.
Other paratypes: body length: male 21–24.3, female 38.5–41.2; pronotum length: male 4.6–5.2, female 7.2–7.8; pronotum height: male 4.7–5.3, female 8.2–9.2; pronotum width anterior: male 4.5–4.9, female 7.3–7.5; pronotum width posterior: male 6.3–6.9, female 9.8–12.5; hind femur length: male 8.5–9.7, female 12.7–13.8; hind femur height: male 3.4–3.8, female 4.7–5.1.
Etymology. The Latin word “ nebulosa ” means misty, which refers to the habitat of this new species (Fig. 16). The location where I found the Nocaracris nebulosa sp. nov. is placed on the edge of a very high vertical cliff (almost 1000 m. high) was misty in all my visits. The mist comes from the lowlands of steep slopes (from the Mediterranean Sea) and reaching to above 2000 m. in a short distance. The mist, rising to the sky, is rapidly forming clouds at this point, like a cloud factory. So, this very impressive place was misty at any time, and it is reflected in naming the new species.
Remarks. The habitat of this species (Fig. 16) is a high mountain steppe (Astragalus sp., Achantolimon sp., Thymus sp. etc.) on rocky-stony ground situated on the southern edge of the Taşeli Plateau. This location has been visited four times in three trips. On the first visit on 22 September 2017, 1 male subadult and 2 female nymphs were found. It was presumed that these specimens probably belong to an unknown species of Nocaracris. Therefore, to find matured forms the same place was visited on 29 and 30 June 2018 and some adults were found in two nearby locations. One more time it was found an opportunity to visit the same place on 29 June 2019. But this time, despite the same date with the previous visit it could not be found any Nocaracris. Because of the delayed warming of the climate in 2019 the habitat was mostly covered by the large snow islands, and it was quite cold.
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 543-546, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5277.3.6, http://zenodo.org/record/7890181