Pheropsophus nigricollis ARROW, 1901

Venugopal, Akhil S. & Thomas, Sabu K., 2019, Bombardier beetles of the genus Pheropsophus Solier 1833 (Carabidae: Brachininae: Brachinini) from Indian subcontinent, Zootaxa 4608 (1), pp. 65-89 : 77-78

Pheropsophus nigricollis ARROW, 1901

( Fig. 2 D )

Pheropsophus nigricollis Arrow, 1901: 203 ; Andrewes, 1919: 198; 1930: 274.

Specimens examined (n=7): Holotype, labelled “ Pheropsophus nigricollis Arrow , type, Bangalore. 85 52.”, type in BMNH;

Other specimens examined: 3 exs., India: Tamil Nadu: Ettimadai , 28.II.2016, coll. S.V. Akhil, Hand Picking ; 3 exs., India: Tamil Nadu: Coimbatore ( TNAU)

Description. Length: 15.0–16.0 mm

Colour: Pitch black; very bright; head brownish yellow except the mid line; epistome reddish brown; first four antennal segments reddish yellow with reddish brown rings on their posterior end, segments 5–11 reddish brown, pronotum completely black; elytra black with pale yellow humeral spots and median bands; legs with coxa, trochanter, femur, tibia reddish yellow and tarsi dark reddish brown; apex of femur without black spot; palpi, labial and maxillary, with last two segments reddish brown and apex reddish yellow; mentum and submentum reddish yellow with a black spot on each lateral tooth of the mentum; ventral side of head completely reddish yellow; prosternum, mesosternum and abdomen black; metasternum and metepisternum reddish yellow.

Head: Narrower than pronotum; spear shaped mark on the head extending from behind the eyes to the clypeus; eyes protruding.

Pronotum: Longer than broad, disc with apical margin straight, basal margin bisinuate, disc convex, sparsely punctuate; lateral margin of basal half parallel and that of apical half convex; with pronounced lateral bead.

Elytra: Broad, wider towards apex, lateral sides curved; humerus distinct, humeral spot small and rounded; median transverse band wide, rounded and reaching the suture and the lateral edges; yellow apical band very fine and narrow; striations deep, wide and rounded, intervals flat, wide.

Geographical distribution. INDIA: Karnataka: Bangalore ( Arrow 1901), Chikkaballapura, Manganale, Shivamogga ( Andrewes 1930); Tamil Nadu: Ettimadai (New record), Coimbatore (New record).

Remarks. Very close to P. bimaculatus but differs by narrow head and pronotum, pronotum entirely black and presence of spear shaped black spot on the forehead.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Dorsal habitus of Pheropsophus from India (cont.)–A) Pheropsophus lissoderus (Holotype, ‘Tibet’, MNHN), B) P. nanodes (Verified specimen, ‘S.E.Tibet’, BMNH), C) P. picicollis (Syntype, ‘Siam (now Thailand)’ MNHN), D) P. nigricollis (Holotype, ‘Bangalore’, BMNH), E) P. occipitalis (Verified specimen, ‘China’, BMNH), F) P. prophylax (Holotype, ‘Manipur’, BMNH), G) P. scythropus (Holotype, ‘Gopaldhara’, BMNH), H) P. scythropus dissolutus (‘Laos’, BMNH)