Rastafaria abessinica Ramme, 1931

Felix, Rob P. W. H. & Massa, Bruno, 2016, Orthoptera (Insecta: Tettigonioidea, Pyrgomorphoidea, Acridoidea) of Kafa Biosphere Reserve, Bale Mountains National Park and other areas of conservation interest in Ethiopia, Zootaxa 4189 (1), pp. 1-59 : 50

Rastafaria abessinica Ramme, 1931

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Orthoptera .speciesfile.org:TaxonName:51183 Figure 42

Material examined. ETHIOPIA: Gambella, Godere , Baku Lake (1425 m), 16.IV.2015, R.P.W.H. Felix (1Ƌ, RFPC) ; SNNPR, Bench Maji, Dembi Forest (1260 m), 14.IV.2015, R.P.W.H. Felix (4Ƌ, 1♀, RFPC), B. Massa (6Ƌ, BMPC) ; Bench Maji, Sheko Forest (1570 m), 13.IV.2015, R.P.W.H. Felix (1Ƌ, RFPC), B. Massa (3Ƌ, BMPC) .

Habitat. Our specimens were collected in high grass and dense shrub along wet forest edges ( Figure 2 a, 4b).

Remarks. Jago (1983) recognizes two related groups, one of which is the Parga -group: lophi of epiphallus forming slender hook-like structures, posterior lateral lobes of epiphallus produced into slender, discrete, angular points, and specialized elongation of the inner and outer dorsal lobes of the knees of hind femora. Rastafaria lies within this Parga -group, which is heterogeneous in Africa and contains small genera, which are often monotypic, and largely composed of species living in or around forests, each with a small distributional area, suggesting that they are evolutionary relics of long past climatic patterns. Many of the genera are unique to the Ethiopian region (Jago 1983).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Habitats at collecting sites. a: Sheko Forest (1570 m); b: Makira Forest (1615 m); c: Dembi Forest (1260 m); d: Bebeka Plantation (1370 m).

FIGURE 42. Rastafaria abessinica, Dembi Forest (1260 m), Ethiopia. Scale bar represents 1 cm.