Platycleis (Squamiana) supericola Ünal 2018, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Ünal, Mustafa
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Orthoptera
Tettigoniidae
Platycleis
Platycleis supericola

description: Platycleis (Squamiana) supericola Ünal, sp. nov.
(Figs. 231–242, 318–323)
Description. Male (holotype): Fastigium of vertex 1.2 times wider than width of eye. Antennal scapus 2.5 times narrower than fastigium of vertex, 2 times narrower than width of eye and 1.3 times narrower than frontal groove. Pronotum (Figs. 231–234) flattened in metazona, with a distinct median carina; no lateral carinae; anterior margin almost straight, posterior margin broadly rounded; shoulder incision very weak; paranota with the typical large dark spot bordered by the typical light band. Tegmina (Figs. 231–234) 1.05 times shorter than pronotum, reaching to middle of 3rd abdominal tergite, its apex strongly narrowed. Femora (Figs. 231, 318) unarmed. Thoracic auditory spiracle very narrow and long, concealed under paranota, only visible from the postero-lateral view of pronotum. Last abdominal tergite (Figs. 235, 320) as in usual form in the subgenus; short, wide triangular posterior lobes, slightly incurved at apex, with a distinct triangular incision. Cercus (Figs. 235, 321) long, narrow and straight along its length; inner tooth quite near to apex; basal part with parallel margins, apical part narrowed and narrowly rounded at apex, not pointed. Subgenital plate (Fig. 236) longer than wide, with median and lateral carinae; posterior incision quite deep and triangular; styli twice as depth as posterior incision. Titillators (Fig. 322) with short and thick apical arms, in some paratypes apical arms more slender; basal part of apical arms with sparse and relatively less spines; middle part of titillator distinctly inflated upwards with distinct spines; basal arms strongly upcurved, long and relatively wide.
Female: Fastigium of vertex 1.3 times wider than width of eye. Antennal scapus 3 times narrower than fastigium of vertex, 2.4 times narrower than width of eye and 1.75 times narrower than frontal groove. Pronotum (Figs. 237–240) with slightly convex prozona; metazona flattened with a distinct median carina; shoulder incision more distinct than that of male; anterior margin almost straight, posterior margin broadly rounded in dorsal view. Tegmina (Figs. 237–240) 1.2 times shorter than pronotum, reaching to middle of 3rd abdominal tergite; slightly narrowed towards apex; apex broadly rounded, but suddenly narrowed in the middle. Legs (Figs. 237, 319) as in male. Thoracic auditory spiracle very narrow. Last abdominal tergite very short, with 2 wide triangular lobes. Cerci simple, long spine-shaped. Subgenital plate (Figs. 241, 323) slightly wider than long, posterior margin very shallow and triangularly incised, with side sklerite as in other congeners. 6th and 7th abdominal sternites (Figs. 241, 323) inflated in the middle. Ovipositor (Figs. 237, 242) distinctly upcurved; widened in middle part, apical 1/ 3 strongly and sharply narrowed.
Color. Body various shades of brown, with dark brown and black spots, stripes and markings. Antenna unicolor light brown in male, milky brown in female. Head milky greyish brown in male, milky brown in female with 2 spots on face; dorsal surface of head 6 short, longitudinal stripes, the narrower 2 stripes lie along the mid line the others behind eyes; in female middle 2 distinct only on fastigium of vertex as 2 spots. Pronotum with typical paranotal large dark spots bordered by typical light band from fore, hind and ventral margins; dorsal surface milky brown in female, slightly darker in male. Sc, distal part of R and some apical branches of M dark brown, all the other main veins and most of the transversal veinlets lightened, milky creamish brown; interveinal fields darker, light brown to black. Fore and mid legs creamish brown with irregular dark (brown to black) spots and stripes. Hind femur with typical longitudinal stripes on outer and inner surfaces and anterior end of dorsal surface. Abdomen light brown with irregular dark spots and short stripes; both sides of 2nd–4th tergites blackish band. Ovipositor bright dark brown in distal 2/3 and ivory color in proximal part.
Diagnosis. This new species is different from Platycleis (Squamiana) kurmana Ramme, 1951 by the distinct typical dark spot on paranota (very weak or absent in P. kurmana, Figs. 243, 245), the shape of titillator with longer and narrower basal arms and with clearly infated middle part, shorter styli of male subgenital plate, more distinct shoulder incision in male (indistinct in the male of P. kurmana, Figs. 243, 245), the narrower pronotal auditory spiracle, the shape of slightly longer female tegmina (almost triangular and 1.3 times shorter than pronotum in P. kurmana, Fig. 245), female subgenital plate with shallow and wide triangular posterior incision (posterior margin concave in P. kurmana) and with the distinct longitudinal median furrow (very weak in P. kurmana); the shape of ovipositor (in P. kurmana as in Figs. 246–247); In P. kurmana male last tergite and cerci are as in Fig. 244.
It is different from Platycleis (Squamiana) sinuata Ramme, 1951 by the shorter tegmina in both sexes with more pointed apexes (clearly longer and more rounded at apex in P. sinuata, Figs. 248, 251), the slit-like pronotal auditory spiracle (clearly much wider, with parallel sides and with rounded tips in P. sinuata), the shape of male cerci with almost preapical inner tooth (cerci distinctly shorter and wider with inner tooth near to middle in distal part in P. sinuata, Fig. 249), titillators with inflated middle part (middle part of titillator straight or slightly convex in P. sinuata), longer styli of male subgenital plate, the female subgenital plate that wider than long (slightly longer than wide in P. sinuata) with wide triangular incision (posterior incision rounded in P. sinuata), the 6th and 7th abdominal sternites with weaker projections, shape of ovipositor (gradualy and regularly narrowed and less upcurved in P. sinuata, Figs. 250, 252).
It is separated from Platycleis (Squamiana) irritans Ramme, 1951 by the shape of titillator with clearly inflated middle part and long, upcurved basal arms, the almost pointed tegmina in both sexes (distinctly more rounded at apex in P. irritans), male last tergite with shorter and wider lobes, and with shallower median incision, much wider ovipositor in the middle part (in P. irritans ovipositor very similar to P. sinuata that gradually narrowed and less upcurved).
Platycleis (Squamiana) salmani Çıplak, 2002 and Platycleis (Squamiana) melendisensis Çıplak, 2002 are much smaller species. Tegmina in both sexes of P. salmani rounded at apex (Figs. 265, 267); of P. melendisensis much longer (Figs. 270, 272). The shape of titillators and ovipositors are very different in these species (Figs. 268–269, 273–74). The new species is different from Platycleis (Squamiana) weidneri Demirsoy, 1974 by the larger size (clearly smaller in P. weidneri). The other differences of P. weidneri are similar that of P. sinuata.
Measurements (mm). Holotype: body 24.3; pronotum 6.8; tegmina 6.5; hind femur 19.3. Paratypes: body: male 20.5–23.2, female 22.5–25.6; pronotum: male 6.4–6.8, female 7–7.9; tegmina: male 5.2–6.1, female 5.7–6.8; hind femur: male 18.8–20.8, female 20.7–23.1; ovipositor: 11.3–12.8.
Material examined. TURKEY: Hakkari, Süvarihalil Geçidi, 2350 m, 7.9.2013, 4 males (including holotype), 3 females, 2450–2560, 2 females; 2300–2455, 6.9.2013, 1 female, plus 1 female in alcohol; Şırnak, Beytüşşebap, Kato Dağı, Beşağaç Köyü, 2398 m, 6.9.2013, 3 males, 4 females, plus 1 female in alcohol (leg. M. Ünal & A. Erden) (AİBÜEM).
Etymology. “superus” means being above in Latin. This new species is a habitant of the highlands of the Mount Kato.
description: Published as part of Ünal, Mustafa, 2018, Tettigoniinae (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) from Turkey with key to genera and descriptions of six new species, pp. 1-66 in Zootaxa 4432 (1) on pages 21-23, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4432.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/1455946