Octavius mariepskopensis Janák, 2025

Janák, Jiří, 2025, Overview of Octavius of Mpumalanga and Limpopo Provinces, South Africa (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Euaesthetinae) with descriptions of eight new species, Zootaxa 5737 (1), pp. 105-126 : 122-125

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5737.1.5
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:03EFBC3F-FDE3-4F66-B1A6-9D4DD42B40C0
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18021064
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/8D1B879F-FFB5-AF04-CD94-F9C5FAF9FD64
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Octavius mariepskopensis Janák
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Octavius mariepskopensis Janák , sp. nov.

Figs. 77–82 View FIGURES 72–82 , 85–87 View FIGURES 83–88 , 95 View FIGURE 95

Type locality. South Africa, Mpumalanga, Mariepskop Forest Reserve .

Type material ( 8 specimens). Holotype ♂: “ RSA, Mpumalanga 25.xi.2023 / 24°33.10'S 30°52.33'E, / Mariepskop Forest res, fynbos1 / ca. 1900m, J. Janák lgt.”, “Berlese extraction / leaf & log litter / sifting”, “ HOLOTYPUS Octavius mariepskopensis sp. nov. J. Janák det. 2025” ( TMSA) GoogleMaps . Paratypes: 5 ♀: same data as holotype ( JJRC) GoogleMaps ; 1 ♂: “ RSA, Mpumalanga 25.xi.2023 / 24°33.17'S 30°52.20'E, / Mariepskop Forest res, fynbos2 / ca. 1900m, J. Janák lgt.”, “Berlese extraction / leaf & log litter / sifting” ( JJRC, PPRI) GoogleMaps . All paratypes with additional labels: “ PARATYPUS Octavius mariepskopensis sp. nov. J. Janák det. 2025” .

Description. Body length 0.9–1.4 mm (M 1.02 mm, HT 1.0 mm), forebody length 0.4–0.5 mm (M 0.5 mm, HT 0.5 mm). Anophthalmous, apterous, light rusty, shiny ( Fig. 77 View FIGURES 72–82 ).

Head ( Figs. 78–79 View FIGURES 72–82 ) slightly broader than pronotum (R 1.04–1.11, M 1.06, HT 1.07), eyes completely absent ( Figs. 79 View FIGURES 72–82 ), sides of head widened moderately towards posterior angles, posterior angles moderately angular, median impression on disc absent, surface with very fine reticulation consisting of polygonal fields and very fine punctures raising from center of each field.

Pronotum ( Fig. 78 View FIGURES 72–82 ) markedly longer than broad (R 1.12–1.24, M 1.20, HT 1.24), strongly narrowed posteriorly; anterior angles rounded, disc regularly convex, disc and base without impressions, posterior angles shortly rounded; surface finely reticulate and very finely punctate, similarly as on head.

Elytra ( Fig. 78 View FIGURES 72–82 ) roundly trapezoid, slightly to markedly broader than long (R 1.05–1.27, M 1.15, HT 1.11), about as broad as head (R 0.93–1.01, M 0.98, HT 0.98), without sharp outer longitudinal ridge laterally; surface with very fine reticulation consisting of irregular polygonal fields and then and there with very fine punctures.

Abdomen with two paratergites, with reticulation consisting of polygonal, slightly transverse fields, very finely and sparsely punctate.

Male. Posterior margin of sternite VIII very slightly emarginate ( Fig. 81 View FIGURES 72–82 ), sternite IX as in Fig. 82 View FIGURES 72–82 . Aedeagus symmetrical, long and narrow (length 0.19 mm), apical part sharply pointed, internal sac with horseshoe-shaped structure in apical part; parameres shorter than median lobe, each with very short and moderately robust seta directly at apical point and oriented proximally and two finer, longer and narrower setae situated nearby at lateral sides and oriented laterally ( Fig. 80 View FIGURES 72–82 ).

Differential diagnosis. Octavius mariepskopensis Janák , sp. nov. belongs among anophthalmous species together with Octavius caecigenus Puthz, 2006 , but differs by the different shape of the aedeagus sharply pointed apically and having different internal structure.

Derivatio nominis. The name of this species refers to the type locality.

Distribution. Octavius mariepskopensis Janák , sp. nov. is currently recorded only from the Mariepskop Forest Reserve, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa ( Fig. 95 View FIGURE 95 ).

Bionomics. All specimens were collected in siftings of litter in a mountain fynbos at the elevation of about 1900 m a.s.l. ( Figs. 85–88 View FIGURES 83–88 , the abundance of specimens per kg of sifted material: fynbos 1: 0.8/kg, fynbos 2: 0.2/kg).