Octavius lothenicus Janák, 2024

Janák, Jiří, 2024, On Octavius from Maloti-Drakensberg and Golden Gate National Parks, South Africa (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Euaesthetinae), Zootaxa 5443 (4), pp. 495-522 : 505

Octavius lothenicus Janák , sp. nov.

Figs. 44–48 , 120 , 131

Type locality. South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal Province, Maloti-Drakensberg Park, Lotheni National Reserve .

Type material (149 specimens). Holotype ♂: “ South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, Maloti-Drakensberg Park , Lotheni NR, ind. forest patch 29°26.3ʼS 29°31.7ʼE, 1570m, 14.i.2019, J. Janák lgt.”, “ HOLOTYPUS Octavius lothenicus sp. nov. J. Janák det. 2021”. Paratypes: 62 ♂, 86 ♀: same data as holotype ( TMSA, JJRC, 1 ♂, 1 ♀ in 96 % alcohol). All paratypes with additional labels: “ PARATYPUS Octavius lothenicus sp. nov. J. Janák det. 2021”.

Description. Body length 1.6–1.9 mm (M 1.75 mm, HT 1.8 mm), forebody length 0.8–0.9 mm (M 0.86 mm, HT 0.9 mm). Macrophthalmous, apterous, rusty, head dull, pronotum slightly shiny, elytra and abdomen moderately shiny ( Fig. 44 ).

Head ( Fig. 44 ) slightly narrower than pronotum (R 0.89–0.95, M 0.91, HT 0.90), eyes relatively large, temples less than half longer than eyes (R 1.21–1.67, M 1.44, HT 1.36), sides of head almost straight, not distinctly widened towards posterior angles, posterior angles moderately angular, median impression on disc absent, lateral parts of head moderately granulose, median part very densely and very finely reticulate.

Pronotum ( Fig. 44 ) slightly broader than long (R 1.07–1.14, M 1.11, HT 1.12), strongly narrowed posteriorly; anterior angles slightly angular, dorsal impressions moderately deep, transverse impression deep, lateral impressions deep, delimited by sharp longitudinal ridge laterally; lateral parts beside lateral impressions densely granulose, remainder of surface very densely and finely reticulate.

Elytra ( Fig. 44 ) subquadrate, much broader than long (R 1.46–1.58, M 1.52, HT 1.48), with sharp longitudinal ridge laterally; between latter and suture sparsely, irregularly granulate, moderately reticulate and moderately sparsely shortly setose.

Abdomen subparallel, slightly widened to segment IV or V, with one paratergite and microsculpture consisting of triangular or rhomboid fields, leaving here and there small smooth places, finely setose.

Male. Sternite VIII moderately triangularly emarginated in posterior one-sixth ( Fig. 47 ), sternite IX as in Fig. 48 . Aedeagus only slightly asymmetrical, moderately long and narrow (0.43–0.44 mm, M 0.43 mm, HT 0.44 mm), apical part divided in two short protrusions, internal structure undulate, strongly sclerotised; parameres markedly shorter than median lobe, with about 5–7 apicolateral setae ( Fig. 45–46 ).

Differential diagnosis. Octavius lothenicus Janák , sp. nov. belongs among species with large eyes, with temples at most twice as long as eyes, with the head not or at most slightly widened posteriorly, with large body and the disc of the head without a median impression. In the most recent key of South African Octavius ( Janák 2014) is to be arranged at the couplet 154 (151), but it differs from the species arranged there (e. g. O. mikhaili Janák, 2014 or O. multisetosus Janák, 2014 ) by almost symmetrical aedeagus with the apical part divided in two short protrusions.

Derivatio nominis. This species is named after the type locality – Lotheni Natural Reserve.

Distribution. Octavius lothenicus Janák , sp. nov. is currently recorded only from the Lotheni Natural Reserve in Drakensberg Mts., KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa ( Fig. 120 ).

Bionomics. All specimens were collected in siftings of forest litter in a patch of an indigenous forest at the elevation of about 1570 m a.s.l. with the abundance of 11.6 specimens per kg of sifted material ( Fig. 131 ).

Figures

FIGURES 39–48. 39–43: Octavius kambergensis Janák, sp. nov., 39–40, 42–43, holotype; 41, paratype. 44–48: Octavius lothenicus Janák, sp. nov., 44–45, 47–48, holotype; 46, paratype. 39, 44, habitus; 40–41, 45–46, aedeagus ventral; 42, 47, male sternite VIII; 43, 48, male sternite IX. Scale 0.5 mm: 39, 44; 0.1 mm: remaining figures.

FIGURES 113–121. Octavius undulatus Janák, sp. nov.; 113–116, 118–119, holotype; 117, paratype. 113, habitus; 114, fore parts; 115, fore parts lateral; 116–117, aedeagus ventral; 118, male sternite VIII; 119, male sternite IX. Scale 0.5 mm: 113; scales 0.1 mm: 114–115; 116–117; 118–119; o: ommatidium. 120: Distribution of Octavius – subgroup A. 121: Distribution of Octavius – subgroup B.

FIGURES 128–133. 128: Cathedral Peak, Masongwane river banks. 129: Injisuthi. 130: Monkʼs Cowl, Hlatikulu forest. 131: Lotheni. 132: Kamberg, locality 1. 133: Kamberg locality 2.