Octavius kambergensis 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 : 503-505

Octavius kambergensis Janák , sp. nov.

Figs. 39–43 , 120 , 133

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

Type material (70 specimens). Holotype ♂: “ South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, Maloti-Drakensberg Park , Kamberg NR, ind. forest patches 29°21.85ʼS 29°37.1ʼE, 1820– 40m, 12.i.2019, J. Janák lgt.”, “Berlese extraction, leaf & log litter, sifting”, “ HOLOTYPUS Octavius kambergensis sp. nov. J. Janák det. 2021” ( TMSA) . Paratypes: 34 ♂, 35 ♀: same data as holotype ( TMSA, JJRC). All paratypes with additional labels: “ PARATYPUS Octavius kambergensis sp. nov. J. Janák det. 2021”.

Description. Body length 1.6–1.8 mm (M 1.6 mm, HT 1.7 mm), forebody length 0.7–0.8 mm (M 0.75 mm, HT 0.8 mm). Macrophthalmous, apterous, light rusty, head dull, pronotum slightly shiny, elytra and abdomen moderately shiny ( Fig. 39 ).

Head ( Fig. 39 ) slightly narrower than pronotum (R 0.88–0.94, M 0.91, HT 0.90), eyes relatively small, temples mostly more than twice as long as eyes (R 1.97–2.93, M 2.37, HT 2.11), sides of head distinctly roundly widened behind, posterior angles slightly angular, median impression on disc absent, lateral parts of head finely granulose, median part densely and moderately finely reticulate.

Pronotum ( Fig. 39 ) slightly broader than long (R 1.09–1.18, M 1.13, HT 1.18), moderately narrowed posteriorly; anterior angles slightly angular, dorsal impressions deep, transverse impression deep, lateral impressions deep, delimited by very narrow longitudinal ridge laterally; lateral parts beside lateral impressions moderately densely and finely granulose, remainder of surface very densely and moderately finely reticulate.

Elytra ( Fig. 39 ) subquadrate, much broader than long (R 1.36–1.50, M 1.43, HT 1.38), with sharp longitudinal ridge laterally; between latter and suture irregularly sparsely granulate, and shallowly, moderately reticulate, sparsely shortly setose.

Abdomen subparallel, slightly widened to segment V, with one paratergite and microsculpture consisting of triangular or rhomboid fields, finely setose.

Male. Sternite VIII triangularly emarginated in posterior one-fifth ( Fig. 42 ), sternite IX as in Fig. 43 . Aedeagus slightly asymmetrical, moderately long and narrow (length 0.45–0.48 mm, M 0.46 mm, HT 0.45 mm), apical part pointed, internal structure small, tooth shaped, strongly sclerotised; parameres slightly shorter than median lobe, with about 4–5 apicolateral setae ( Fig. 40–41 ).

Differential diagnosis. Octavius kambergensis Janák , sp. nov. belongs among species with small eyes, with temples more than twice as long as eyes, with the head distinctly 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 103 (106) near O. extralobatus Puthz, 2006 and O. pugionifer Puthz, 2006 , but differs by different shape of aedeagus with small tooth shaped internal structure.

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

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

Bionomics. All specimens were collected in siftings of forest litter in forest patches of an indigenous forest at the elevation of about 1820–1840 m a.s.l. with the abundance of 5.3 specimens per kg of sifted material ( Fig. 133 ).

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.