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

description: Nocaracris karshitoros Ünal, sp. nov.
(Figs. 76, 527, 600, 602, 707–710, 846)
Type locality. Turkey: Adana, Saimbeyli, Bozoğlan Dağı. Holotype: male (NHMUK).
Material examined. TURKEY: Antitaurus, Adana, Saimbeyli, Bozoğlan Dağı, 2100–2300 m, 7.7.1952, on rocky mountain side, 2♂ (including Holotype), 4♀ (leg. P. H. Davis) (NHMUK); Antitaurus, Maraş [Kahramanmaraş], Çardak, Berit Dağı, 1800–2000 m, 25.7.1952, 2♀ (leg. P. H. Davis) (NHMUK); Beyruth [Berit Dağı, Kahramanmaraş], 1♀ (det. Ramme as Nocaracris sp.) (NMW); Antitaurus, Kayseri, Develi, 26.6.1952, from steppe, 3♂, 1♀ (leg. P. H. Davis) (NHMUK); Adana, Saimbeyli-Tufanbeyli, 1420 m, 38.01.961 N, 36.06.416 E, 12.6.2009, 2♀ (leg. M. Ünal) (AİBÜEM); Kayseri, Pınarbaşı, Şirvan Dağı, 2140 m, 38.39.801 N, 36.23.676 E, 3.7.2009, 1♀ (leg. M. Ünal) (AİBÜEM).
Additional Material: Kahramanmaraş, Elbistan-Nurhak Dağı arası, 1300 m, 21.6.1952, 1♀ (leg. R. Çetik) (AÜZM).
Description. Male (Holotype): Body (Figs. 707, 709) very slender, compressed laterally. Fastigium of vertex (Fig. 602) flat and sloping. Frontal ridge narrow, slightly narrowed and incised just below the median ocellus. Vertex (Fig. 602) between the eyes narrow, 1.3 times narrower than vertical diameter and as wide as transversal diameter of eye; vertex slightly swollen; convex in lateral view, in some males straighter; with distinct carinulae; supraocular foveola open type; median carinula long and grooved. Antennae lost, with 12 segments in the other males. Pronotum (Figs. 602, 707, 709) compressed laterally; lateral carinae weak; median carina not raised, with a distinct longitudinal sulcus slightly wider in anterior part; pronotum almost roof-shaped, slightly convex in lateral view, in some males straight; anterior margin slightly convex, posterior margin straight in dorsal view. Prosternum swollen, with a small, very sharp, spine-like median projection. Mesosternal interspace narrow, 2 times wider than its length and clearly narrower than mesosternal lobes. Hind femur (Fig. 707) 2.75 times longer than its height, dorsal and vertral margins in basal 1/3 part parallel, then narrowing towards genicular lobes, dorsal margin finelly serrated. Hind tibia with 9 inner, 10 outer spines. Mesonotum and metanotum with grooved median carina, but in males from Develi weakly grooved. Abdominal tergites (Figs. 707, 709) simple, not raised and not protruded posteriorly. Tympanum absent. Phallus (Fig. 76 a, b) slender; arch of zygoma wide; posterior lobes of zygoma elongated; apodemes narrow, with apical notch; basal valves of penis widened at base; pseudolophi (Fig. 76 c) separated, with 8–11 spines, in Develi population with 7–16 spines.
Female: Body (Figs. 708, 710) compressed laterally. Fastigium of vertex (Fig. 600) short and broad, flat and slightly sloping. Frontal ridge as in male. Vertex (Fig. 600) between the eyes 1.1 times wider than vertical diameter and 1.3 times wider than transversal diameter of eye; vertex swollen, distinctly convex in lateral view; with distinct carinulae; supraocular foveola open, divided into small cells by small carinulae; median carinula long and grooved. Antennae lost in the old specimens, the others with 12 segments. Pronotum (Figs. 708, 710) distinctly compressed laterally, roof-shaped; lateral carinae practically absent, very weak in some females; median carina slightly or not raised, with a thin longitudinal sulcus wider in anterior part; convex in lateral view. Anterior margin of prosternum raised with a long, sharp, spine-like median projection, in some females blunter and broader but always pointed. Mesosternal interspace 2.5 times wider than its length and slightly narrower than mesosternal lobes. Hind femur (Fig. 527) 2.7 times longer than its height, dorsal margin slightly convex and finelly serrated, ventral margin distinctly convex. Hind tibia with 9 inner, 10 outer spines. Tympanum practically absent, visible a vestigial one, as large as the hole of stigma, in Berit population slightly larger. Abdominal tergites (Figs. 708, 710) as in male. Subgenital plate as wide as long or slightly longer.
Coloration. Male: Body brown with black and cream spots and stains. Dorsal half of head brown with black spots, ventral half cream with black spots. Middle part of paranota with a large cream spot anteriorly; typical light bands distinct. Outer surfaces of legs yellowish-cream. Inner surface of hind femur reddish-black, its ventral margin dark red, dorsal margin body color; inner margin of ventral surface dark red, black in the middle part and outer margin reddish-orange; inner and dorsal surfaces of hind tibia yellowish-orange with black tipped spines; apical end with a small red spot dorsally. Inner and dorsal sides of tarsus bright red. Typical light band on abdomen distinct; lateral surfaces of abdomen brown. Abdominal sternites pale yellow, their anterior margins on both sides brown. Female: Body unicolor greyish-cream, in some females darker or reddish-brown in one female. Inner surface of hind femur brown, its ventral margin dark red, dorsal margin body color; inner margin of ventral surface dark red, brown in the middle part and outer margin body color. Inner and dorsal surfaces of hind tibia lemon yellow with brown tipped spines; dorsal surface of hind knee blue; apical end of hind tibia with a red spot dorsally. Inner half of tarsus bright red.
Diagnosis. This new species is related to N. subrubratus Ramme by the compressed body, the absence of lateral carinae of pronotum and the pointed prosternum. But it is different by the sharper spine-like prosternum (pointed but triangular in N. subrubratus), the wider arch of zygoma (distinctly narrower in N. subrubratus), elongated posterior lobes of zygoma (short and wide in N. subrubratus), the hind tibia, orange in male, yellow in female (black in male, dark blue or blackish in female of N. subrubratus). It is near to N. sabulosus Ramme by the elongated posterior lobes of zygoma, the apodemes with apical notch and the orange hind tibia in male. But it is different by the flat fastigium of vertex (slightly depressed in N. sabulosus), the more tectiform pronotum with not raised median carina (median carina relatively raised in N. sabulosus), the wider arch of zygoma (distinctly narrower in N. sabulosus), the yellow hind tibia in female (orange in N. sabulosus). The only similarity of this new species with some specimens of N. cejchani sp. nov. is the yellow female tibia. But, there are no blue stains and spots while some females of N. cejchani have these blue patterns. Moreover all the other characters are very different from N. cejchani (see the key and description of N. cejchani).
Measurements (mm). Holotype (male): body length 24.1; pronotum length 4.3; pronotum height 5.1; pronotum width anterior 4.6; pronotum width posterior 6; hind femur length 9.9; hind femur height 3.6. Paratypes: body length: male 19.2–24.1, female 35.3–40.9; pronotum length: male 3.9–4.3, female 6.5–7.9; pronotum height: male 4.5–5.1, female 7.7–9.3; pronotum width anterior: male 4–4.6, female 6.3–7.4; pronotum width posterior: male 5.2–6.2, female 8.7–10.5; hind femur length: male 8–9.9, female 11.8–13.9; hind femur height: male 3.2–3.6, female 4.1–5.
Remarks. One female in the NMW was labelled as Beyruth. This word is not related with the capital city of Lebanon, Beirut (see the Remarks section of Paranocarodes lubricus Mistshenko). Morphologically this single female is agree with the other specimens collected from Berit Mountain.
Etymology. The Turkish name “Karşı Toros” means Antitaurus where it was collected.
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 177-178, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4206.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/208260