Poecilimon helleri Boztepe, Kaya & Çiplak, 2013, SP. NOV.

POECILIMON HELLERI BOZTEPE, KAYA & ÇIPLAK SP. NOV.

Holotype: Male; Turkey – Balıkesir Province, Akçay, Kaz Dag ˘ı, Sarıkız District, 39°42′19.6″N, 026°53′44.3″E, 1688 m, 05.vii.2011 (legitat B. Çıplak et al.) (AUZM).

Paratypes: Twenty-four males and seven females; same data as holotype.

Diagnosis: Genetic data suggest that P. helleri is a sister species to P. egrigozi. It is similar to P. egrigozi and P. orbelicus by the L-shaped and apically wide male cerci. However, it differs from these species and other members of the group by the male’s subgenital plate with a deep triangular incision and tapered triangular apical lobes. Additionally, this species has the shortest syllable duration within the species group.

Etymology: Over several years, Dr Klaus-Gerhard Heller has made a considerable contribution to the taxonomy of Orthoptera. His contributions are especially prominent for the genus Poecilimon.

Description: For morphology see Table S1, Figures 6, 24, 32, 50, 68; for song see Table 2 and Figures 76, 82–84.

Male (holotype): Small to medium sized for the genus, over medium sized for the group.

Head: fastigium of vertex prominently produced anteriorly with a groove, its lateral margins parallel or slightly converging, wider than the scapus.

Thorax: pronotum (Fig. 6) short, moderately constricted in prozona, metazona gradually but weakly widened backward and considerably risen, with its surface slightly domed; metazona covering the tegmina beyond cubital vein. Posterior margin of pronotum gently concave. Lower margin of pronotal lateral lobes slightly wavy and with small, nose-like projection in the frontal part. Tegmina, reach to hind edge of first abdominal tergite. The stridulatory file has comparatively dense pegs, gradually increasing in size from the base and becoming largest in the middle of the file. Peg number varies between 89 and 105. Fore femora slightly longer than pronotum. Hind femora with ventral spinules.

Abdomen: cerci (Fig. 32) wide at the base but comparatively robust and long for the group; they are almost straight in the basal third to quarter and incurved with a rectangle distally; the apex as wide as or wider of its former part; the apical end of the cerci truncate and with three to five small denticles. Subgenital plate (Fig. 50) long, extending beyond the tip of cerci; with a deep triangular incision and strongly tapered lobes.

Coloration: general coloration green to dark green with black dots. Antennae yellowish-green, annulated with dark rings. Head and pronotal dorsum with two lateral and one medial thin pale stripes. Dorsolateral corners of pronotum in metazona with big, reddishpink spots almost touching each other at the hind margin of metazona. Tegmina yellow with dark brownish-black stridulatory area. Femora and tibiae green getting yellowish apically. Abdomen green with the first and sometimes all tergites with a black spot mediobasally, which constitute two black stripes along the dorsal side. Cerci reddish-brown, with black denticles.

Song: in general similar to that of the group (Figs 76, 82–84; Table 2).

Female: Pronotum almost cylindrical but slightly flattened and widened in metazona, with a straight or insignificantly concave hind margin. Pronotal lateral plates as in male and straight dorsally with a transverse sulcus cutting the median line just behind the middle of pronotum. Tegmina fully covered by pronotum, reduced to scale-like appendages. Subgenital plate short, transverse, widely oval, apically blunt. Ovipositor roughly one and a half times the pronotum in length; apical part with short, stout teeth dorsally, ventrally and laterally, as in allied species. Lamella (basal fold of dorsal margin of lower ovipositor valve) (Fig. 68) short, flattened, laterally indistinctly widened.

Coloration: as in male.

Distribution: The new species occurs in the subalpine and alpine zones of the Kazdag˘ ları Mountains in north-west Turkey (Fig. 1). This population was first reported by Ünal (2004; as P. luschani) and Sevgili, Demirsoy & Durmus¸ (2011; as P. luschani egrigozi). However, both records refer to the same locality on the Kazdag˘ ları Mountains. By contrast, the record by Karabag˘ (1964) as P. tuncayi from Balıkesir, Savas¸tepe, requires confirmation; it is unclear whether it belongs to this species.