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

description: Nocaracris istanbul Ünal, sp. nov.
(Figs. 544–546, 627–628, 843)
Type locality. Turkey: İstanbul, Belgrad Ormanı. Holotype: female (NHMUK).
Material examined. TURKEY: Nr. İstanbul, Belgrad Ormanı, c. 100 ft, 12.5.1960, 1♀ (leg. K. M. Guichard & D. H. Harvey) (NHMUK).
Description. Female (Holotype): Body (Figs. 627, 628) strongly compressed laterally. Fastigium (Fig. 546) of vertex strongly depressed, slightly sloping. Vertex (Fig. 546) between the eyes narrow, only 1.08 times wider than vertical diameter and 1.3 times wider than transversal diameter or eye; vertex narrowly swollen with very distinct carinulae, median carinula wavy and grooved; supraocular foveola semiclosed (Fig. 546). Frontal ridge vertical, not narrowed and not incised below the median ocellus. Pronotum (Figs. 627, 628) short and quite high, distinctly compressed laterally, with very distinct and sharp lateral carinae; median carina slightly raised, with a distinct longitudinal sulcus, clearly wider at anterior end; almost straight in lateral view, but a weak concavity visible in median part; anterior margin convex, posterior margin slightly convex with a small median notch. Anterior margin of prosternum (Fig. 545) raised, collar-shaped, narrowly rounded in the middle, not pointed. Mesosternal interspace almost 2 times wider than its length and slightly narrower than mesosternal lobes. Hind femur (Fig. 627) 2.8 times longer than its height; dorsal margin straight in basal half, then slightly sloping towards genicular lobes, with fine denticles; ventral margin slightly more convex. Hind tibia with 7 inner, 10 outer spines. Abdominal tergites (Figs. 627, 628) with raised, sharp median carina, slightly but not protruded backwards; lateral carinae of pronotum very distinct. Tympanum absent (Fig. 544). Subgenital plate distinctly longer than wide, posterior margin with two broad lateral and one very narrow median lobes.
Male: Unknown.
Coloration. Body greyish, greenish milky brown. Dorsal half of body darkened with greyish milky brown; ventral half creamish. Fore and mid legs, outer surfaces of hind legs creamish milky brown. Typical light bands on paranota distinct on posterior margin, indistinct on anterior margin. Abdominal tergites greyish, with slightly pale greenish light brown. Inner and ventral surfaces of hind femur blackened, dorsal margin of inner side and outer margin of ventral side body color; inner surface of hind tibia blackish dark brown (almost black) with yellow spines. Tarsus body color.
Diagnosis. This new species is most related to N. bulgaricus (Ebner & Drenowski) by the compressed body, very distinct pronotal carinae, raised median carina of abdominal tergites. But it is different by the strongly depressed fastigium (slightly depressed in N. bulgaricus), the narrower vertex (1.2 times wider than vertical diameter and 1.5 times wider than transversal diameter of eye in N. bulgaricus), the shorter pronotum and its straight median carina (pronotum longer and convex in lateral view in N. bulgaricus), the rounded, collar-shaped prosternum (prosternum sharply pointed with spine-like projection in N. bulgaricus) and the black hind tibia (bright yellow or red in N. bulgaricus). It is different from N. burri (Uvarov) by the compressed body (clearly depressed dorso-ventrally in N. burri), narrower vertex (much wider in N. burri), the raised abdominal median carinae (not raised in N. burri), the prosternum with rounded anterior margin (sharply pointed in N. burri) and the black tibia (tibia red in N. burri). This species has a weak similarity with N. tecticollis Ramme by the compressed body laterally. But, the very distinct lateral carinae of pronotum (lateral carinae absent and pronotum roof-shaped in N. tecticollis), the frontal ridge with shallow frontal groove (deeply grooved in N. tecticollis), the wider head (clearly narrowed in N. tecticollis), the rounded collar-shaped prosternum (distinctly pointed with a sharp, spinelike projection in N. tecticollis) and the black hind tibia (yellow or light orange apically in N. tecticollis) are different.
Measurements (mm). Holotype (female): body length 32.8; pronotum length 7.8; pronotum height 9.5; pronotum width anterior 7.6; pronotum width posterior 10.2; hind femur length 14.4; hind femur height 5.1.
Etymology. This new species is named after “ İstanbul ” Province of Turkey where it was collected.
Remarks. This single female is easily distinguished. It was compressed laterally during the prepation process and dried in this form. In spite of this its natural body shape is compressed laterally, because of the shape of the narrower vertex, the narrower meso- and metasternae and pronotum. It was compared with the females of all species of the genus Nocaracris.
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 page 143, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4206.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/208260