Karyotypes of two endemic species of hare from Ethiopia, Lepus habessinicus and L. starcki were studied and compared to that of L. europaeus. L. starcki has a fragmented range in the high Ethiopian plateaus and is considered a relict form of L. europaeus. In contrast, L. habessinicus occurs at lower altitudes, and is an arid-country species. The species share a 2n = 48 and a FNa = 88 common to all representatives of the genus. No sign of karyotypic differentiation is evident from G-banding and Ag-NOR location. These data support the hypothesis of pronounced karyotypic conservativism in the genus Lepus.Resume. -On a etudie le caryotype de deux especes de lievres endemiques d'Ethiopie, Lepus habessinicus et Lepus starcki et on les a compares ä celui de Lepus europaeus. L. starcki est distribue irregulierement sur le plateau ethiopien et est considere comme une forme relicte de L. europaeus, tandis que L. habessinicus vit ä des altitudes plus basses et est considere comme une espece xerophile. Les especes ethiopiennes partagent le meme caryotype ä 48 chromosomes (NFa = 88), commun a l'ensemble du genre Lepus. L'analyse des bandes G et Ag-NOR n'a mis en evidence aucune difference caryotypique entre les 3 especes. Ces donnoes confirment 1'hypothese que, chez les lievres, le caryotype est fortement conserve.