Introduction

Ruwet studied the avifauna of Katanga, DRC, and wrote several papers. Ruwet studied the breeding habits of a weaver that he thought was P. melocephalus in the swamps bordering Lake Lufira (now called Lake Shangalele, or Tshangalele). Ruwet recorded several colonies, including one of more than 20 nests. Ruwet collected one specimen at Kinsamba, near the eastern edge of the maximum level of the lake. This specimen was a male in almost complete breeding plumage, collected in 1960, probably in the month of March.

Verheyen attributed the specimen to the subspecies dimidiatus, while Schouteden 1971a omitted this record from his summary of P. melocephalus specimens. Louette and Benson examined Ruwet's specimen and compared it to other similar species, and realised that it was a new species. These authors note that the Lufira Masked Weaver differs markedly from other similar weavers in bill shape, and they suspected that its nearest relative is P. reichardi.

The Lufira Masked Weaver was first illustrated in the type description, by black and white photos of the type specimen, of a nest, and of a breeding colony.

Scientific citation

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Collector

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Locality collected

Type specimens

Identification. The Lufira Masked Weaver Ploceus ruweti breeding male has a black head and a strong chestnut wash on the breast and flanks, which distinguishes it from the Lesser Masked Weaver, Southern Masked Weaver, and Katanga Masked Weaver. It is also similar to the Tanganyika Masked Weaver but the black on the head of the Lufira Masked Weaver extends as far as the hind-crown. The female Lufira Masked Weaver is greenish above, dull yellow below and shows two wingbars.

Distribution. The Lufira Masked Weaver is found at Lake Tshangalele (formerly Lake Lufira) and Kiubo Falls, c. 120 km downstream on the Lufira River, in DRCongo (see map below, based on Birds of Africa and recent information).

Habitat. The Lufira Masked Weaver inhabits riverside vegetation, but nests in ambatch and acacia trees, rather than in the reeds.

Food. The diet of the Lufira Masked Weaver is seeds and insects, and the young are fed on insects.

Breeding. The Lufira Masked Weaver is probably polygynous. Males are territorial and usually have 4-6 nests, but may have 3-20 nests in some sites. The nest is oval, with the entrance below and little or no spout. The nest is woven by the male from strips of material, and suspended from branches above the water. Two colonies were close to nests of the wasp Ropalidia cincta.

One clutch had 2 eggs, very pale green with brown spots, and spots concentrated at the thick end. Nothing else is known about its breeding habits.