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

description: Nocaracris crassipes Ünal, sp. nov.
(Figs. 78, 524–525, 617, 723–726, 846)
Type locality. Turkey: Sivas, Gürün, Yenibektaşlı-Kürkçü. Holotype: male (AİBÜEM).
Material examined. TURKEY: Sivas, Gürün, Yenibektaşlı-Kürkçü, 2010 m, 2.7.2009, 38.51.239 N, 37.01. 0 43 E, 1♂ (Holotype), 2♀ (leg. M. Ünal); Gürün, Ziyaret Geçidi, 1900 m, 38.49.696 N, 36.53.750 E, 2.7.2009, 7♀ (leg. M. Ünal), 1900–1930 m, 15.7.2008, 7♀, 1900–1950 m, 16.7.2008, 6♀, plus 4♀ in alcohol (leg. M. Ünal & A. Erden); Kayseri, Pınarbaşı, Faciekencili Köyü, Dağyolu, 2025 m, 38.46.294 N, 36.14.747 E, 3.7.2009, 2♂, 4♀ (leg. M. Ünal) (AİBÜEM).
Description. Male (Holotype): Body (Figs. 723, 724) small, stout, relatively compressed laterally, with small distinct tubercles. Fastigium of vertex (Fig. 617) short, depressed and clearly sloping. Vertex (Fig. 617) between the eyes 1.13 times narrower than vertical diameter of eye and 1.06 times narrower than transversal diameter of eye; vertex with distinct carinulae; supraocular foveola semiclosed; median carinula very thin and grooved; vertex swollen, convex in lateral view. Eye (Fig. 617) distinctly broad, almost rounded only 1.06 times longer than wide. Antennae with 12 segments. Pronotum (Figs. 723, 724) compressed laterally, but broad; lateral carinae weak; median carina not raised, with a thin longitudinal sulcus, widened only at anterior end; almost straight in lateral view; anterior margin convex, posterior margin straight in dorsal view. Anterior margin of prosternum pointed, raised with a sharp, narrow triangular, median projection. Hind femur (Fig. 524) 2.3 times longer than its height, basal half strongly widened, then sharply narrowing towards genicular lobes, forms a weak preapical notch on dorsal margin. Hind tibia with 9 inner, 10 outer spines. Mesonotum and metanotum with weak median carinae among distinct tubercles, very weakly grooved. Mesosternal interspace 2.3 times wider than its length and slightly narrower than mesosternal lobes. Abdominal tergites (Figs. 723, 724) simple, with slightly raised median carinae. Tympanum absent. Phallus (78a, b) slender, long and narrow; arch of zygoma narrow, elongated; posterior lobes of zygoma narrow and short; apodemes narrow without apical notch; basal valves of penis long, widened at base; pseudolophi (Fig. 78 c) separated, with 15–16 spines.
Female: Body (Figs. 725, 726) small, stout, relatively compressed laterally, but broad. Fastigium of vertex short and broad, slightly depressed and sloping. Vertex between the eyes broad, 1.2 times wider than vertical diameter and 1.5 times wider than transversal diameter of eye; median carinula wavy, grooved. Eye oval, 1.2 times longer than wide. Antennae with 12 segments. Pronotum (Figs. 725, 726) compressed laterally with distinct small dense tubercles, roof-shaped; lateral carinae practically absent; median carina not raised, with a thin longitudinal sulcus, slightly wider at anterior end; convex in lateral view, in some females straighter. Prosternum as in male but median projection longer. Mesosternal interspace 2.6 times wider than its length and slightly narrower than mesosternal lobes. Hind femur (Fig. 525) shape as in male, basal half strongly widened, dorsal and ventral margins almost parallel, then strongly and sharply narrowed in preapical part. Hind tibia with 9 inner, 10 outer spines. Abdominal tergites (Figs. 725, 726) simple with slightly raised median carina and with very small posterior projection never surpassing the hind margin of tergite. Tympanum absent. Subgenital plate slightly longer than wide.
Coloration. Male: Body light brown with black spots and cream pattern. Dorsal surface of head, pronotum, anterior half of abdomen with weak, small, sparse black spots. Antenna dark brown. Typical light bands on paranota very weak. Fore and mid legs light brown. Outer surface of hind led yellowish-cream; inner surface of hind femur black, dorsal margin body color, ventral margin dark red basally; ventral surface blackish-red. Inner surface of hind tibia black including spines; inner half of dorsal surface blackish dark blue, outer half body color with yellowish outer spines; apical end of hind tibia with a small red spot dorsally. Tarsus bright red. Typical light band on abdomen weak, yellowish-cream. Female: unicolor cream with indistinct small blue and black spots. Antennae with brown apical segments. Inner and ventral surfaces of hind femur black, in some females outer margin of ventral surface red. Hind tibia as in male but, dark blue predominant on inner and dorsal surfaces. Tarsus bright red.
Diagnosis. This new species is recognizable by the shape of hind femur, strongly widened in basal half and sharply narrowed in preapical part, the small but stout body, the absence of lateral carinae of pronotum and the hind tibia black in male, dark blue in female. It is the second member of the N. niethammeri sp. group. in the shape of hind femur. It is near to N. niethammeri by the shape of hind femur, the compressed stout body, and the pointed prosternum. But it is different by the smaller body, the hind tibia, black in male, dark blue in female (bright light red in both sexes of N. niethammeri), the male eye, almost as wide as long (distinctly oval, 1.25 times longer than wide in male of N. niethammeri). The hind leg coloration of this new species is similar to the closely distributed populations of N. subrubratus Ramme. But, the shape of stout hind femur with weak preapical notch (very slender, without preapical notch in N. subrubratus), the rounded male eye (clearly oval, 1.33 times longer than wide in N. subrubratus), the stouter body and the shape of phallus are very different (see also the key).
Measurements (mm). Holotype (male): body length 19.8; pronotum length 4; pronotum height 4.7; pronotum width anterior 4.4; pronotum width posterior 6; hind femur length 8; hind femur height 3.5. Paratypes: body length: female 32–38.2; pronotum length: female 6–7.6; pronotum height: female 7.9–9.6; pronotum width anterior: female 6.5–7.4; pronotum width posterior: female 9.2–10.7; hind femur length: female 10.8–12.5; hind femur height: female 4.5–5.1.
Etymology. The Latin “ crassipes ” refers to the widened (thickened) hind femur.
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 183-184, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4206.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/208260