Octavius flagellatus 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 : 501

Octavius flagellatus Janák , sp. nov.

( Figs. 29–33 , 120 , 130 )

Type locality. South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal Province, Maloti-Drakensberg Park, Monkʼs Cowl, Hlatikulu forest .

Type material (29 specimens). Holotype ♂: “ South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, Maloti-Drakensberg Park, 1540m; 29°2.35ʼS, 29°23.3ʼE, Monkʼs Cowl; Hlatikulu forest , 6.i.2019, J. Janák lgt.”, “Berlese extraction, leaf & log litter, sifting”, “ HOLOTYPUS Octavius flagellatus sp. nov. J. Janák det. 2021” ( TMSA) . Paratypes: 18 ♂, 10 ♀: same data as holotype ( TMSA, JJRC, 2 ♂ in 96% alcohol). All paratypes with additional labels: “ PARATYPUS Octavius flagellatus sp. nov. J. Janák det. 2021”.

Description. Body length 1.7–2.1 mm (M 1.9 mm, HT 1.9 mm), forebody length 0.8–0.9 mm (M 0.9 mm, HT 0.9 mm). Microphthalmous, apterous, brown or dark rusty brown, head and central part of pronotum dull or slightly shiny, lateral parts of pronotum, elytra and abdomen moderately shiny ( Fig. 29 ).

Head ( Fig. 29 ) slightly narrower than pronotum (R 0.89–0.92, M 0.90, HT 0.91), eyes large, temples less than twice as long as eyes (R 1.56–1.89, M 1.74, HT 1.77), sides of head straight or slightly rounded, not or slightly widened towards posterior angles, posterior angles moderately angular, median impression on disc absent, lateral parts of head moderately granulose, median part densely and moderately finely reticulate.

Pronotum ( Fig. 29 ) slightly broader than long (R 1.07–1.18, M 1.13, HT 1.12), moderately narrowed posteriorly; anterior angles slightly angular, dorsal impressions deep, transverse impression shallow, lateral impressions deep, limited by narrow sharp longitudinal ridge laterally; lateral parts beside lateral impressions finely and densely granulose, with a few much large granules, remainder of surface densely and moderately finely reticulate and sparsely granulose.

Elytra subquadrate ( Fig. 29 ), much broader than long (R 1.50–1.62, M 1.56, HT 1.58), with sharp longitudinal ridge laterally; between latter and suture irregularly granulate, finely reticulate and 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 smooth places, finely setose.

Male. Sternite VIII slightly emarginated in posterior one-twelfth ( Fig. 32 ), sternite IX as in Fig. 33 . Aedeagus asymmetrical, long and narrow (length 0.60–0.64 mm, M 0.62 mm, HT 0.62 mm), apical part one side with narrow, very long and curved protrusion, internal structure long, apically curved, strongly sclerotised; parameres markedly shorter than median lobe, very narrow, with about 6–8 setae in median part ( Figs. 30–31 ).

Differential diagnosis. Octavius flagellatus 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 155 (156), near O. vulturensis Janák, 2014 , but differs from this and all other species by aedeagus with apical part one side with narrow, very long and curved protrusion.

Derivatio nominis. This name is derived from the latin word flagellum which refers to the unusual protrusion of the median lobe.

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

Bionomics. All specimens were collected in siftings of forest litter in a forest patch of an indigenous forests at the elevation of about 1540 m a.s.l. with the abundance of 3.2 specimens per kg of sifted material ( Fig. 130 ).

Figures

FIGURES 29–38. 29–33: Octavius flagellatus Janák, sp. nov., 29–30, 32–33, holotype; 31, paratype. 34–38: Octavius gamai Puthz, Rainbow gorge. 29, 34, habitus; 30–31, 35–36, aedeagus ventral; 32, 38, male sternite VIII; 33, 37, male sternite IX. Scale: 0.5 mm: 29, 34; scales: 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.