Rhabdoplea munda Karsch, 1893

Popov †, George B., Fishpool, Lincoln D. C. & Rowell, C. Hugh F., 2019, A review of the Acridinae s. str. (Orthoptera: Acridoidea: Acrididae) of eastern Africa with taxonomic changes and description of new taxa, Journal of Orthoptera Research 28 (2), pp. 37-105 : 52

Rhabdoplea munda Karsch, 1893 Figs 21, 64

Rhabdoplea munda Karsch, 1893.

Rhabdoplea angustula Karsch, 1893 (syn. Dirsh 1970).

Rhabdoplea elegans (Karny, 1907) (syn. Dirsh 1966).

Rhabdoplea klaptoczi (Karny, 1915) (syn. Descamps & Donskoff 1968).

Rhabdoplea mira Karsch, 1893 (syn. Descamps & Donskoff 1968).

Material.

-Male and female types: TOGO: Bismarckburg, (MfN, Berlin). Other specimens (*including micropterous insects): ETHIOPIA: Lake Zwai. SOUTH SUDAN: nr. Juba. UGANDA: *Kepeka, *Bulumezi, *Nakasongola, *Buddu Kakuto, *Luwero, Lango; Bwamba; Karamoja; Bugoma Forest; Adachal; Dokolo; Hoima. TANZANIA: Morogoro; Rukwa valley; Kafukola; Old Shinyanga; 30 mi. N. of Kahama.

Description.

- R. munda , by comparison with R. angusticornis , has antennae somewhat shorter and broader; proportionally longer pronotal metazona; prozona/metazona ratio in R. munda is 1.3 ( angusticornis 1.8); hind margin of metazona convex (straight in angusticornis ); is micropterous, or macropterous ( angusticornis always micropterous). General coloration in shades of light brown to stramineous, with or without some darker speckling or striation. Narrow, pale, more or less distinct band present along lower side of genae and lateral pronotal lobes; dorsum and underside generally paler. Darker shades of brown may occur in micropterous form, with the dorsum light brown and sides dark brown; narrow lateral yellowish-white band is particularly contrasting, and hind femora are rusty-orange with dark knees. Table 5 gives morphometric data for R. munda .

Discussion.

- R. munda Karsch, 1893 and R. angusticornis Uvarov, 1953 are very similar in appearance. R. munda in macropterous form has wings extending well beyond the tip of the abdomen and the hind knees; in the micropterous form the wings are dorso-lateral, well separated dorsally, varying in shape, being scale-like, or attenuate, but seldom extending beyond the middle of the abdomen.

Distribution.

- R. munda is a widespread species, found in grasslands from western Africa to ETHIOPIA, eastern, central and southern Africa.