Nocaracris istanbul Ünal, 2016

Ünal, Mustafa, 2016, Pamphagidae (Orthoptera: Acridoidea) from the Palaearctic Region: taxonomy, classification, keys to genera and a review of the tribe Nocarodeini I. Bolívar, Zootaxa 4206 (1), pp. 1-223 : 143

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 .

Figures

FIGURE 843. Distribution of the species and subspecies of genera Neoparanothrotes and Nocaracris.

FIGURES 522 – 554. Body parts. 522 – 527 hind femur, 522 Nocaracris niethammeri, male; 523 ditto female; 524 Nocaracris crassipes, male holotype; 525 ditto female paratype; 526 Nocaracris subrubratus, male paratype; 527 Nocaracris karshitoros, female paratype. 528 – 531 pronotal carinae in female, 528 Nocaracris bicoloripes; 529 Nocaracris dilekensis, holotype; 530 Nocaracris bodenheimeri; 531 Nocaracris burri. 532 – 536 female tympanum, 532 Nocaracris tunceli, paratype; 533 Nocaracris kosswigi; 534 Nocaracris bodenheimeri, without tympanum; 535 Nocaracris judithae; 536 Nocaracris minutus. 537 – 540 longitudinal sulcus of pronotum in female, 537 Nocaracris bulgaricus; 538 Nocaracris furvus furvus; 539 Nocaracris kosswigi; 540 Nocaracris tunceli, paratype. 541 – 544 female tympanum, 541 Nocaracris furvus furvus; 542 Nocaracris furvus kazdagi, paratype; 543 Nocaracris bulgaricus; 544 Nocaracris istanbul, holotype, without tympanum (right side). 545 – 546 Nocaracris istanbul, female holotype, 545 prosternum; 546 fastigium of vertex; 547 – 548 Nocaracris bulgaricus, 547 prosternum; 548 fastigium of vertex. 549 – 552 prosternum, 549 Nocaracris furvus furvus, male; 550 ditto female; 551 Nocaracris furvus kazdagi, male paratype; 552 ditto female paratype. 553 – 554 male fastigium of vertex, 553 Nocaracris rimansonae, lectotype; 554 Nocaracris tunceli, holotype.

FIGURES 625 – 638. Habitus. 625 – 626 Nocaracris bulgaricus, 625 male syntype; 626 female syntype. 627 – 628 Nocaracris istanbul, female holotype, 627 lateral view; 628 ditto dorsal. 629 – 630 Nocaracris rimansonae, 629 male lectotype; 630 female paralectotype. 631 – 632 Nocaracris kosswigi, 631 male holotype; 632 female paratype. 633 – 636 Nocaracris tunceli, 633 male holotype; 634 ditto dorsal; 635 female paratype; 636 ditto dorsal. 637 – 638 Nocaracris granosus, 637 male; 638 female holotype.