Octavius mikhaili, Janák, 2014

Janák, JiĜí, 2014, New species and subspecies of Octavius from South Africa, with a key and additional distribution records (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Euaesthetinae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 54 (1), pp. 195-231 : 212-214

Octavius mikhaili sp. nov.

( Figs 39–41 )

Type locality. South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal Province, Weza, Ingeni forest, 30°32ƍS, 29°41ƍE.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: 3: ‘ SOUTH AFRICA, [KwaZulu-Natal Province]: Natal, Weza, Ingeni forest , sifted forest litter, 30.32 S – 29.41 E, 18.xi.1989, E-Y: 2689, leg. Endrödy-Younga // Octavius mikhaili sp. n., J. Janák det. 2009’ ( TMSA) . PARATYPES: 2332 ♀♀, same data as holotype (3 spec. in TMSA, 1 spec. in JJRC), 1 3, same data as holotype, but ‘sift. grass, forest, 22.xi.1989, E-Y: 2714’ ( TMSA).

Description (n = 6). Body length 1.6–1.9 mm (M 1.8 mm, HT 1.7 mm), forebody length 0.8–0.9 mm (M 0.9 mm, HT 0.8 mm). Macrophthalmous, apterous, rusty brownish with tergites 7 and 8 darker, or completely brown, head and pronotum dull, elytra and abdomen moderately shiny.

Head slightly narrower than pronotum (R 0.92–0.94, M 0.93, HT 0.93), eyes moderately large, less than twice as long as eyes (R 1.36–1.56, M 1.43, HT 1.40), slightly narrowed posteriorly, posterior angles rounded, median impression on disc absent, surface moderately granulose and ¿nely reticulate.

Pronotum slightly broader than long (R 1.05–1.10, M 1.08, HT 1.10), strongly narrowed posteriorly; anterior angles rounded, dorsal impressions shallow, transverse impression deep, lateral impressions deep and delimited by a sharp longitudinal ridge laterally; surface moderately granulose, densely and deeply reticulate.

Elytra sligthly trapezoidal, much broader than long (R 1.44–1.53, M 1.47, HT 1.48), with a sharp longitudinal ridge laterally; irregularly granulate and scarcely reticulate.

Male. Sternite 8 moderately narrowly emarginate in posterior seventh or eighth ( Fig. 40 ), sternite 9 as in Fig. 41 . Aedeagus relativelly small (n = 3, length 0.30–0.32 mm, M 0.31 mm, HT 0.30 mm), median lobe truncate apically. Internal structures of aedeagus with an apically sligthly widened band with a group of short setae. Parameres much shorter than median lobe, each with 7 apical setae ( Fig. 39 ).

Differential diagnosis. Octavius mikhaili sp. nov. belongs among species with large eyes, with the temples at most twice as long as eyes, with the head not or at most slightly widened posteriorly, with large body size, and the disc of head without a median impression. It is related to O. multisetosus sp. nov., from which it can be distinguished only by the aedeagus morphology, which is characterized by the median lobe truncate apically and the internal structures of the aedeagus with a long, apically sligthly widened band and asymmetrical parameres with about 7 setae.

Etymology. This species is dedicated to Mikhail Mostovski (Natal Museum, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa), specialist in Diptera, who helped me during my trip to the Republic of South Africa and supported my study of Staphylinidae .

Bionomics. All specimens have been found in siftings of forest litter in indigenous forest.

Distribution. Octavius mikhaili sp. nov. is currently recorded only from Ingeni Forest (Weza NR) in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.

Figures

Figs. 35–41. 35–38 – Octavius vulturensis sp. nov., male (35 – PT; 36–38 – HT). 39–41 – O. mikhaili sp. nov., HT male. 35 – aedeagus latero-ventral; 36, 39 – aedeagus ventral; 37, 40 – sternite 8; 38, 41 – sternite 9. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.