A review of the Acridinae s. str. (Orthoptera: Acridoidea: Acrididae) of eastern Africa with taxonomic changes and description of new taxa

Abstract

The Acridinae of eastern Africa are reviewed and recognized as comprising 42 core genera, belonging to five different tribes, together with Xerophlaeoba and Dorsthippus, which are unclassified but appear to be related to some extra-limital genera. Keys are given to tribes and genus groups as well as to genera and, where necessary, species within each genus. The following new taxa are described: Anacteana gen. n.: A. hollisi sp. n. and A. neavei burtti subsp. n.; Brachybothrus gen. n.: B. phyllopterus sp. n. and B. hola sp. n.; Coryphosima stenoptera colorata subsp. n.; Duronia chloronota phippsi subsp. n.; Oxyduronia gen. n.: O. anablepioides sp. n.; Sumba exilis sp. n. Nine new synonyms are recognized: Sumba longicornis Ramme, 1929 = S. roseipennis I. Bolívar, 1912, syn. n.; Orthochirista variegata Sjöstedt, 1931 = Gymnobothrus linea alba I. Bolívar, 1889, syn. n.; Orthochirista elgonensis Sjöstedt, 1931 = Gymnobothrus linea alba I. Bolívar, 1889, syn. n.; Gymnobothrus gracilis (Ramme, 1931) = Gymnobothrus anchietae I. Bolívar, 1889, syn. n.; Gymnobothrus subcarinatus (I. Bolívar, 1922) = Gymnobothrus flexuosus (Schulthess, 1898), syn. n.; Gymnobothroides montanus Kevan, 1950 = Gymnobothrus levipes levipes (Karsch, 1896), syn. n.; Gymnobothroides keniensis Johnston, 1937 = Gymnobothrus levipes abbreviatus (Chopard, 1921), syn. n.; Gymnobothroides Karny, 1915 = Gymnobothrus I. Bolívar, 1889, syn. n.; Phloeochopardia Dirsh, 1958 = Gymnobothrus I. Bolívar, 1889, syn. n. The following 24 new or restored combinations, or new or restored states, are erected for previously described taxa: Chokwea backlundi res. comb. (formerly Chromochokwea backlundi (Uvarov, 1953)); Chokwea eucteana comb. n. (formerly Platyverticula eucteana Jago, 1983); Sumba callosa comb. n. (formerly Rhabdoplea callosa Uvarov, 1953); Anacteana neavei comb. n. (formerly Acteana neavei I. Bolívar, 1912); Anacteana neavei neavei stat. n.; Duronia chloronota curta Uvarov, 1953, stat. n. et comb. (formerly Duronia curta Uvarov, 1953); Coryphosima abyssinica (Uvarov, 1934), res. stat. (formerly synonymized with C. elgonensis by Dirsh, 1966 (though this was ignored by Otte 1995)); Coryphosima amplificata (Johnston, 1937), res. stat. et comb. n. (formerly Rastafaria amplificata amplificata (Johnston, 1937)); Coryphosima morotoensis (Jago, 1968), stat. n. et comb. n. (formerly Rastafaria amplificata morotoensis (Jago, 1968)); Coryphosima triangularis (Bouvy, 1982), comb. n. (formerly Rastafaria triangularis Bouvy, 1982); Gymnobothrus longicornis longicornis stat. n.; Gymnobothrus longicornis ephippinotus Jago, 1966, stat. n. et comb. n. (formerly Gymnobothrus ephippinotus Jago, 1966); Gymnobothrus longicornis sellatus Uvarov, 1953, stat. n. et comb. n. (formerly Gymnobothrus sellatus Uvarov, 1953); Gymnobothrus anchietae anchietae stat. n.; Gymnobothrus anchietae bounites Jago, 1970, stat. n. et comb. n. (formerly Gymnobothrus bounites Jago, 1970); Gymnobothrus anchietae flaviventris Uvarov, 1953, stat. n. et comb. n. (formerly Gymnobothrus flaviventris Uvarov, 1953). Gymnobothrus anchietae inflexus Uvarov, 1934, stat. n. et comb. n. (formerly Gymnobothrus inflexus Uvarov, 1934); Gymnobothrus levipes (Karsch, 1896), comb. n.; Gymnobothrus levipes levipes (Karsch, 1896), stat. n. et comb. n. (formerly Gymnobothroides levipes (Karsch, 1896)); Gymnobothrus levipes abbreviatus (Chopard, 1921), stat. n. et comb. n. (formerly Phloeochopardia abbreviata (Chopard, 1921)); Gymnobothrus pullus (Karny, 1915), comb. n.; Gymnobothrus pullus pullus (Karny, 1915), stat. n. et comb. n. (formerly Gymnobothroides pullus Karny, 1915); Gymnobothrus pullus minutus (Ramme, 1929), stat. n. et comb. n., nom. res. (formerly Gymnobothroides minutus Ramme, 1929); Gymnobothrus pullus hemipterus (Miller, 1932), stat. n. et comb. n. (formerly Gymnobothroides hemipterus Miller, 1932).