Octavius aureaportalis 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 : 510-511

Octavius aureaportalis Janák , sp. nov,

( Figs. 71–77 , 121–123 )

Type locality. South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal Province, Golden Gate National Park .

Type material (4 specimens). Holotype ♂: “ South Africa, Free State, Golden Gate NP, forest patch, 28°30.4ʼS, 28°37.6ʼE, 30.xii.2014; J. Janák lgt.”, “ Berlese extraction, leaf & log litter, sifting”, “ HOLOTYPUS Octavius aureaportalis sp. nov. J. Janák det. 2021” ( TMSA) . Paratypes: 2 ♂, 1 ♀: same data as holotype ( TMSA, JJRC). All paratypes with additional labels: “ PARATYPUS Octavius aureaportalis sp. nov. J. Janák det. 2021”.

Description. Body length 1.0– 1.1 mm (M 1.04 mm, HT 1.0 mm), forebody length 0.4–0.5 mm (M 0.46 mm, HT 0.5 mm). Microphalmous, apterous, rusty, slightly shiny ( Fig. 71 ).

Head ( Figs. 72–73 ) slightly broader than pronotum (R 1.04–1.12, M 1.09, HT 1.09), eyes represented only by one ommatidium ( Figs. 72–73 , o), 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 ( Figs. 72–73 ) markedly longer than broad (R 1.13–1.20, M 1.18, HT 1.13), 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 ( Figs. 72–73 ) roundly trapezoid, markedly broader than long (R 1.24–1.35, M 1.29, HT 1.31), about as broad as head (R 0.96–1.01, M 0.99, HT 0.97), with 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 emarginated, almost subtruncate ( Fig. 76 ), sternite IX as in Fig. 77 . Aedeagus symmetrical, moderately long and narrow (length 0.18–0.19 mm, M 0.18 mm, HT 0.19 mm), apical part pointed, internal sac with dense scales and apically with a pair of short sclerotized narrow structures; parameres slightly shorter than median lobe, each with very short and moderately robust seta directly at apical point and oriented proximally and 2 finer, longer and narrower setae situated nearby at lateral sides and oriented laterally ( Figs. 74–75 ).

Differential diagnosis. Octavius aureaportalis Janák , sp. nov. belongs among species with one ommatidium together with O. angusticollis Puthz, 2006 and additional four species described in this paper and can be distinguished with certainty only by the shape of the aedeagus and the internal structures – see a key at the end of the description part for details.

Derivatio nominis. The name of this species is derived from the latin words aurea (= golden) and porta (= gate) which refers to the type locality – Golden Gate Natural Reserve.

Distribution. Octavius aureaportalis Janák , sp. nov. is currently recorded only from the Golden Gate Natural Reserve in Drakensberg Mts., Free State Province, South Africa ( Fig. 121 ).

Bionomics. All specimens were collected in siftings of litter in a forest patch with small trees at the elevation of about 2000 m a.s.l. with the abundance 0.2 specimens per kg of sifted material ( Figs. 122–123 ).

Figures

FIGURES 71–84. 71–77: Octavius aureaportalis Janák, sp. nov.; 71–74, 76–77, holotype; 75, paratype. 78–84: Octavius gracilis Janák, sp. nov.: 78–81, 83–84, holotype; 82, paratype. 71,78, habitus; 72, 79, fore parts; 73, 80, fore parts lateral; 74–75, 81–82, aedeagus ventral; 76, 83, male sternite VIII; 77, 84, male sternite IX. Scale 0.5 mm: 71, 78; scales 0.1 mm: 72–73, 79–80; 74–75; 81–82; 76–77, 83–84, o – ommatidium.

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 122–127. 122–123: Golden Gate. 124–125: Royal Natal: 124, Gudu forest, 125, Devilʼs Hoek. 126–127: Cathedral Peak: 126, Rainbow gorge, 127, Oqualweni Fern forest.