Zacompsa festa 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 : 82

Zacompsa festa Karsch, 1893 Figs 323-327

Zacompsa festa Karsch, 1893: 74, fig. 11.

Zacompsa karschi Ramme, 1929 (syn. Dirsh 1970).

Zacompsa helonoma Jago, 1966: 351. (syn. Mestre 2001).

Zacompsa festa var. bivittata Uvarov, 1926 (syn. Mestre 2001).

Material.

-Lectotype male, festa : TOGO: Bismarckburg, 20.IX-31.X.1890, R. Büttner, Zool. Mus. Berlin, no. 5543 (MfN). Paralectotypes - 1 female, same data as lectotype; 1 female, same as lectotype but I. XI– 15.XII.1890; 1 male, 1 female, same as lectotype but 20. IX– 15.X.1890. Holotype male helonoma : GHANA: N. Region, 6 mi. N. Mole R. Bosum-Daboya Road, [09°20'N, 1°30W], 26.XII.1963. All paratypes - 9 males, 2 females, same data as holotype; 2 males, 2 mi. W. of Daboya, 24.XII.1963, Jago. (all NHMUK). Holotype female festa var. bivittata : NIGERIA: Azare (NHMUK). Holotype male karschi : CAMEROON: Benue (MfN). SENEGAL: Bambey; Ziguinchor, ( rizières); Tambacounda (long grass, bush). MAURITANIA: Timbedra; Aioun el Atrouss. MALI: Nr. Darou, Gourma; Kara. NIGER: Agadez (smallest and palest specimens); Niger river valley S. of Niamey, several localities. SIERRA LEONE: Msala (NHMUK). TOGO: Misahohe (NHMUK). GHANA: Volta region, Chiara, Nkwanta, Kpandu; Northern region, Yeji (NHMUK). NIGERIA and CAMEROON: Obokamaji (nr. Ibadan) (NHMUK); Azare (type series of Z. f. bivittata ), Ba Sidderi (1 male paratype of Z. bivittata karschi Ramme); Karim; Wurge; Kalkala (at light); Kianje. SUDAN: Singa; Suki; MCPS (Gedaref); Basunda. ETHIOPIA: Meisso (near station); Lake Bishoftu; River Hawash. ERITREA: nr. Ducumbia; Keren.

Description.

-Wings are usually about same length in both sexes; when folded, tips of tegmina vary from falling short of the tip of the abdomen to more or less level with, or even surpassing, the hind knees. Coloration variable; bright and contrasting in some, with face and medial stripe on occiput dark and pale spots on upper face of hind femur. In others, paler, particularly on the face and with uniformly pale rusty-brown upper and outer face of hind femur, without notable maculation.

Measurements.

-Table 12. This table shows the considerable variation in size over the range of the species festa as now understood

Distribution.

-MAURITANIA, SENEGAL, SIERRA LEONE, IVORY COAST, GHANA, MALI, BURKINA FASO, BENIN, TOGO, NIGER, NIGERIA, CAMEROON, CHAD, SUDAN, ETHIOPIA, ERITREA. Not so far recorded from Uganda , Tanzania or Kenya.

Discussion.

-The species shows a remarkable stability of characters throughout its considerable range. It is likely, as Jago (1966) comments, that this stability of characters is an expression of the general similarity of environmental conditions in habitats across the Guinean zone. The only significant variation is associated with latitude, whereby coloration of populations in the Sahel/Sudanian zones (SENEGAL to SUDAN and ERITREA), is often duller and less contrasting; white spot in basal third of hind femur indistinct or absent; length of wings variable, even in same locality.