Octavius bulirschi, 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 : 208-209

Octavius bulirschi sp. nov.

( Figs 26–28 , 58 )

Type locality. South Africa, Eastern Cape Province, Kologha State Forest, 32°32ƍS, 27°22ƍE.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: 3: ‘ SOUTH AFRICA, Eastern Cape, Kologha State Forest , ca 32°32´S; 27°22´E, 31.i–1.ii.2012, J. Janák lgt. // indigenous forest, forest litter, sifting // Octavius bulirschi sp. n., J. Janák det. 2013’ ( TMSA) . PARATYPES: 313343 ♀♀: same data as holotype (2 spec. in TMSA, 2 spec. in NMPC, 70 spec. in JJRC).

Description. Body length 1.9–2.6 mm (M 2.2 mm, HT 2.0 mm), forebody length 0.9–1.0 mm (M 0.9 mm, HT 1.0 mm). Macrophthalmous, apterous, reddish brown, head and pronotum dull, elytra and abdomen moderately shiny.

Head distinctly narrower than pronotum (R 0.82–0.86, M 0.84, HT 0.84), eyes moderately large, temples less than twice as long as eyes (R 1.73–1.96, M 1.83, HT 1.73), moderately widened posteriorly, median impression absent, lateral parts of head moderately granulose, median part very densely and ¿nely reticulate.

Pronotum moderately broader than long (R 1.15–1.22, M 1.18, HT 1.19), strongly narrowed posteriorly; anterior angles slightly angular, dorsal impressions moderately deep, transverse impression deep, lateral impressions deep and delimited by a sharp longitudinal ridge laterally; lateral parts beside lateral impressions densely granulose, remainder of surface very densely and ¿nely reticulate, in dorsal impression scarcely and moderately granulose.

Elytra subquadrate, much broader than long (R 1.68–1.77, M 1.72, HT 1.73), with a sharp longitudinal ridge laterally; irregularly granulate, only with traces of reticulation.

Male. Aedeagus elongate, (n = 5, length 0.59–0.63 mm, M 0.62 mm, HT 0.59 mm), with sclerotized internal plate with two spines and four groups of setae apically. Parameres apically with 9 apical setae ( Fig. 26 ). Sternite 8 broadly emarginate in posterior twelveth ( Fig. 27 ), sternite 9 as in Fig. 28 .

Differential diagnosis. Octavius bulirschi sp. nov. belongs among species with large eyes, with the temples at most twice as long as the eyes, with the head distinctly widened posteriorly, with large body size and the aedeagus with free and slender parameres. It is related to O. piriensis ( Kistner, 1967) , from which it can be distinguished with certainity by the slender aedeagus with sclerotized internal plate with two spines and groups of four setae apically.

Etymology. This species is dedicated to my friend and colleague Petr Bulirsch (Praha, Czech Republic). With him I made all trips to the Republic of South Africa.

Bionomics. All specimens have been found in siftings of forest litter mainly among small roots at the base of large trees in indigenous forest ( Fig. 58 ).

Distribution. Octavius bulirschi sp. nov. is currently recorded only from Kologha State Forest in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.

Figures

Figs. 23–28. 23–25 – Octavius dorsumsuis sp. nov., HT male. 26–28 – O. bulirschi sp. nov., HT male. 23, 26 – aedeagus ventral; 24, 27 – sternite 8; 25, 28 – sternite 9. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

Figs. 54–59. Localities. 54 – Fort Fordyce NR; 55 – Kogelberg NR; 56 – Mkhambati NR, forest at Mkhambati river; 57 – Mkhambati NR, Vulture Forest; 58 – Kologha State Forest (with Petr Bulirsch at background); 59 – Table Mt. NP, Echo valley.