Octavius mostovskii, 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 : 196-199

Octavius mostovskii sp. nov.

( Figs 4–6 )

Type locality. South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal Province, Mt. Gilboa, 29°17ƍS, 30°17ƍE.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: 3: ‘ SOUTH AFRICA, KwaZulu-Natal, Howick, Mt Gilboa , 1650-1700m, 29°17ƍS, 30°17ƍE, indig. forest, 29.xi.2009, sifting, J. Janák lgt. // Octavius mostovskii sp. n., J. Janák det. 2011’ ( TMSA) . PARATYPES: 2 ♀♀: same data as holotype ( JJRC).

Description (n = 3). Body length 1.5–1.8 mm (M 1.7 mm, HT 1.8 mm), forebody length 0.7–0.8 mm (M 0.75 mm, HT 0.8 mm). Microphthalmous, apterous, light rusty, head and pronotum dull, elytra and abdomen moderately shiny.

Head slightly narrower than pronotum (R 0.94–0.95, M 0.95, HT 0.95), eyes very small, temples at most than ¿ve times as long as eyes (R 5.10–8.58, M 6.31, HT 5.24), sides of head arcuately to almost straight, widened towards posterior angles, posterior angles moderately angular, median impression on disc absent, lateral parts of head ¿nely granulose, median part densely and moderately ¿nely reticulate.

Pronotum slightly broader than long (R 1.07–1.11, M 1.09, HT 1.11), strongly narrowed posteriorly; anterior angles slightly angular, dorsal impressions moderately deep, 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 very densely and ¿nely reticulate.

Elytra subquadrate, much broader than long (R 1.37–1.40, M 1.38, HT 1.40), with a sharp longitudinal ridge laterally; between the latter and suture with a moderate longitudinal undulation, irregularly granulate, and moderately reticulate.

Male. Sternite 8 moderately emarginate in posterior one-¿fth ( Fig. 5 ), sternite 9 as in Fig. 6 . Aedeagus long and narrow (length 0.42 mm), pointed apically, internal structure weakly sclerotised, apically unilaterally with several short setae; parameres distinctly shorter than median lobe, with 2–3 apical and unilaterally with 4 subapical setae ( Fig. 4 ).

Differential diagnosis. Octavius mostovskii sp. nov. belongs to a group of species with very small eyes, with temples more than three times as long as eyes and with the head not or at most slightly widened posteriorly. It is externally most similar to O. trihastatus Puthz, 2006 but it differs from that species by the absence of a median impression on the disc of the head, the differently shaped head with less convex temples, and by the less transverse pronotum with distinctly less convex lateral sides. The aedeagus of O. mostovskii sp. nov. is similar to that of O. attenuatus Puthz, 2006 , but its internal structure is simple, without setae, the paramere is shorter and with different positioning of setae, and sternite 8 is longer and with a deeper emargination on the posterior margin. The new species also differs from O. attenuatus externally by its distinctly larger size and differently shaped head and pronotum.

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 mostovskii sp. nov. is currently recorded only from Mt. Gilboa in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa (for locality photos, see JANÁK 2012: Figs 72–73).

Figures

Figs. 4–9. 4–6 – Octavius mostovskii sp. nov., HT male. 7–8 – O. muellerae sp. nov., HT male. 4, 7 – aedeagus ventral; 5, 8 – sternite 8; 6, 9 – sternite 9. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.