Octavius acutipenis, 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 : 200-202

Octavius acutipenis sp. nov.

( Figs 10–13 )

Type locality. South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal Province, Ongoye Forest, 28°50ƍS, 31°44ƍE.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: 3: ‘ SOUTH AFRICA, [KwaZulu-Natal Province]: KWZ Natal, Ongoye forest , 294 m, 28.50 S – 31.44 E, sifting forest litter, 4.–5.xii.2010, E-Y 3890, leg. Ruth Müller // Octavius acutipenis sp.n., J. Janák det. 2013’ ( TMSA) . PARATYPES: 13 4♀♀: same data as holotype (3 spec. in TMSA, 2 spec. in JJRC).

Additional material examined. SOUTH AFRICA: KWAZULU- NATAL: Ongoye forest, 28.50 S – 31.44 E, 294 m, sifting forest litter, 4.–5.xii.2010, E-Y 3890, leg. Ruth Müller, 1♀ ( TMSA)

Description (n = 6). Body length 1.2–1.5 mm (M 1.3 mm, HT 1.2 mm), forebody length 0.6–0.7 mm (M 0.6 mm, HT 0.6 mm). Microphthalmous, apterous, light rusty, head dull, pronotum dull except for slightly shiny transverse depression, elytra and abdomen moderately shiny.

Head slightly narrower than pronotum (R 0.89–0,93, M 0.91, HT 0,89), eyes small, temples less than three times as long as eyes (R 2.42–2.86, M 2.60, HT 2.46), subparallel, posterior angles moderately angular, shallow median impression on disc present, lateral parts of head very ¿nely granulose, median part very densely and moderately ¿nely reticulate.

Pronotum moderately broader than long (R 1.13–1.20, M 1.17, HT 1.16), strongly narrowed posteriorly; anterior angles slightly angular, dorsal impressions shallow, transverse impression deep, lateral impressions deep, but not delimited by a sharp longitudinal ridge laterally; lateral parts beside lateral impressions densely granulose, remainder of surface moderately densely and ¿nely reticulate.

Elytra subquadrate, much broader than long (R 1.41–1.68, M 1.54, HT 1.56), with a sharp longitudinal ridge laterally; between the latter and suture with a moderate longitudinal undulation, irregularly sculptured, and moderately reticulate.

Male. Aedeagus long and narrow (n = 2, length 0.49 mm), pointed apically, with two internal long and narrow structures, one pointed and the second one rounded apically; parameres slightly shorter than median lobe, with 10 apical setae ( Fig. 10 ). Sternite 8 moderately emarginate in posterior one–eleventh ( Fig. 11 ), sternite 9 as in Figs 12, 13 .

Variability. The female listed in aditional material examined has most characters in variability range of the type series, but differs from the types by smaller eyes (R = 3.3). It was not designated as a paratype.

Differential diagnosis. Octavius acutipenis sp. nov. belongs among species with small eyes, with temples less than three times as long as eyes, with the head not or at most slightly arcuately widened posteriorly and with densely reticulate temples. It is related to O. securifer Puthz, 2006 , O. pugionifer Puthz, 2006 , O. kogelbergensis sp. nov. and O. adriani sp. nov. and can be distinguished from them by more shining pronotum (mainly in transverse impression) and by the different sexual characters of male.

Etymology. This species is named after the acute median lobe of the aedeagus (acuti + penis = having acute aedeagus). Noun in apposition.

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

Distribution. Octavius acutipenis sp. nov. is currently recorded only from Ongoye Forest in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.

Figures

Figs. 10–16. 10–13 – Octavius acutipenis sp. nov., HT male. 14–16 – O. adriani sp. nov., 14, 15 – HT male, 16 – PT male. 10, 14 – aedeagus ventral; 11, 15 – sternite 8; 12, 16 – sternite 9; 13 – apical part of sternite 9. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.