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

description: Nocaracris karadagi Ünal, sp. nov.
(Figs. 72, 578, 581–582, 584, 586–587, 679–682, 845)
Paranocaracris rubripes subrubrata (Ramme, 1951): Demirsoy 1973: 426, partim; Demirsoy 1977: 82, partim.
Type locality. Turkey: Hakkari, Karadağ, Kırkbulak Yaylası. Holotype: male (NHMUK).
Material examined. TURKEY: Hakkari, Karadağ, Kırkbulak Yaylası, ca. 3200 m, 3.8.1953, 3♂ (including Holotype), 5♀ (leg. T. Karabağ); Hakkari, Karadağ, ca. 3200 m, 4.8.1953, 2♂, 3♀ (leg. T. Karabağ); Hakkari prov., Kara Dag, 2800 m, 15.8.1954, 2♂ (leg. P. H. Davis) (NHMUK).
Additional Material: Hakkari, Kırkbulak Yaylası, ca. 3200 m, 3.8.1953, 1♀; Hakkari, Karadağ, ca. 3200 m, 4.8.1953, 5♀ (leg. T. Karabağ); Hakkari, Karadağ, 3000 m, 28.7.1952, 1♀ (leg. C. Kosswig) (AÜZM).
Description. Male (Holotype): Body (Figs. 679, 681) very slender and small, relatively compressed laterally. Fastigium of vertex slightly depressed and sloping. Frontal ridge relatively broad, very slightly narrowed just below the median ocellus; frontal groove shallow. Vertex between the eyes narrow, 1.2 times narrower than vertical diameter and 1.1 times wider than transversal diameter of eye; median carinula grooved; vertex slightly swollen, convex in lateral view; supraocular foveola distinct, open type. Eye oval, 1.3 times longer than wide. Antennae with 12–13 segments. Pronotum (Figs. 679, 681) slightly compressed laterally, with distinct lateral carinae; median carina slightly raised, with a wide longitudinal sulcus along its length, very slightly narrowing backwards; slightly convex in lateral view, more convex in prozona; anterior margin of pronotum convex, posterior margin straight or slightly convex in some males. Prosternum swollen, anterior margin broadly rounded, collar-like, not pointed. Mesosternal interspace almost 2 times wider than its length and clearly narrower than mesosternal lobes. Hind femur (Fig. 679) very narrow, 2.7 times longer than its height, dorsal margin regularly convex. Hind tibia with 9 inner, 10 outer spines. Abdominal tergites (Figs. 679, 681) simple, with very slightly raised median carina, never protruded posteriorly; mesonotum, metanotum and first abdominal tergite with grooved median carinae. Tympanum absent. Phallus (Figs. 72 a, b) small and slender; arch of zygoma very narrow; posterior lobes of zygoma wide and almost rounded; apodemes wide, with a weak apical notch; pseudolophi (Fig. 72 c) separated, with 10–15 spines.
Female: Body (Figs. 680, 682) slender, elongated, slightly compressed laterally. Fastigium of vertex (Figs. 578, 586) short, slightly flat and sloping, in some females slightly depressed. Vertex (Fig. 586) between the eyes narrow, as wide as vertical diameter and 1.3 times wider than transversal diameter of eye; vertex distinctly convex in lateral view; median carinula grooved; supraocular foveola open type. Antennae with 12–13 segments. Pronotum (Figs. 586, 587, 680) slightly compressed laterally, with distinct lateral carinae; median carina with a wide longitudinal sulcus along its length; slightly convex in lateral view, straighter in some females. Prosternum (Fig. 581, 582) strongly raised anteriorly like a triangular collar, narrowly rounded at apex, not pointed. Mesosternal interspace 2.8 times wider than its length and slightly narrower than mesosternal lobes. Hind femur (Fig. 584) narrow, 2.9 times longer than its height, dorsal and ventral margins equally convex. Hind tibia with 9 inner, 9–10 outer spines. Abdominal tergites (Figs. 680, 682), mesonotum and metanotum with grooved median carinae. Tympanum absent. Subgenital plate slightly longer than wide or as wide as long.
Coloration. Male: Body brown with grey, cream and black spots and stains. Dorsal surface of head, behind of eyes and antennae greyish-brown. Typical light bands on paranota distinct. Fore and mid legs creamish and greyish-brown with sparse black spots; ventral surface of mid femur and tibia slightly reddish. Outer surface of hind femur greyish-brown. Inner and ventral surfaces of hind femur red; inner side of dorsal genicular lobe black. Inner and dorsal surfaces of hind tibia dark (blood) red, apical half of tibia with black spines. Tarsus blood red Typical light band on abdomen indistinct, in some males slightly distinct. Female: Body as in male. Dorsal surface of head, anterior part of pronotum, dorsal surface of hind femur creamish light brown. Inner surface of hind femur black or reddish-black, its ventral carina blackish-red; inner half of ventral surface reddish-black, outer half more reddish. Inner surface of hind tibia pale bluish and greyish-green with inner spines, apical end of tibia slightly reddish, outer spines yellowish, but in some females inner surface of tibia very dark red with black spines or inner surface reddish, dorsal surface greenish. Tarsus red.
Diagnosis. This new species is related to N. latipes Uvarov from N. Caucasia by the slender body shape, the wide longitudinal sulcus of pronotum, the general structures of pronotum and abdomen. It is different by the wider longitudinal sulcus of pronotum along its length (wide in the anterior part, strongly narrowing backwards in the female holotype, less narrowing in the paratypes of N. latipes), the shape of hind femur (wider in proximal part, sharply narrowing towards genicular lobes in N. latipes), the larger female eye (small and more rounded, 1.2 times longer than wide in N. latipes), the narrower vertex in female (in N. latipes vertex much wider, 1.3 times wider than vertical diameter and 1.5 times wider than transversal diameter of eye), the shape of prosternum (tridentate in the middle, central dent longer and pointed in female of N. latipes) and the hind leg coloration (inner surface of hind femur black, ventral surface of hind femur and inner surface of hind tibia orange in male; basal half of hind tibia bluish-green turning to red in apical half in female of N. latipes). It is also related to N. monticolus sp. nov., N. van sp. nov. and N. palandoken sp. nov. It is easily distinguished by the clearly wider longitudinal sulcus of pronotum. For the other differences see the Diagnosis sections of these three species below.
Measurements (mm). Holotype (male): body length 22.6; pronotum length 4; pronotum height 4.4; pronotum width anterior 4.1; pronotum width posterior 5.8; hind femur length 9.2; hind femur height 3.4. Paratypes: body length: male 20–22.6, female 36–43.1; pronotum length: male 3.7–4.2, female 6.2–7.3; pronotum height: male 4– 4.4, female 7.1–7.9; pronotum width anterior: male 3.8–4.3, female 5.9–6.5; pronotum width posterior: male 5.3– 5.9, female 8.7–9.6; hind femur length: male 8.4–9.2, female 12.4–14.4; hind femur height: male 3.2–3.5, female 4.3–4.7.
Etymology. “ Karadağ” is the type locality of this new species.
Remarks. The specimens identified as “ P. rubripes subrubrata ” by Demirsoy (1973) from Hakkari province belong to this new species.
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 165-166, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4206.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/208260