Pheropsophus cardoni MAINDRON, 1898

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 : 70

Pheropsophus cardoni MAINDRON, 1898

( Fig. 1 D )

Pheropsophus cardoni Maindron, 1898:131 ; Andrewes, 1930:271.

Specimens examined (n=3): Syntypes (3 specimens), labelled “Chota Nagpore, Nowatoli, Pheropsophus cardoni Maindr. Det. ING. JEDLIČKA”, R.P. Cardon, XI–XII 1896; type in ZMHB .

Description. Length: 11.0–13.0 mm

Colour: Head, pronotum, antennae reddish yellow, first four segments of the antennae brighter than the rest; elytra black; pale black pygidium; legs uniformly yellow.

Head: Wider than long; eyes protruding, head with eyes wider than pronotum.

Pronotum: Cordiform, with hind angles acute; anterior 2/3 rd highly convex; posterior 1/3 rd narrow compared to anterior, diverging laterally; mid line distinctly dark brown coloured; middle of the disc highly coloured, reddish brown and clearly demarcated from the lateral region which are pale reddish yellow by dark brown margins.

Elytra: Narrowed to apex, humerus prominent, straight, right angled; finely striated, at strial intervals carries two wavy yellow spots, the first wider, irregularly rounded occupy the upper third and almost reach the suture; smaller second spot, more round than the first, not reaching the penultimate striation near the suture.

Geographical distribution. INDIA: Jharkhand: Chota Nagpur: Nawatoli ( Maindron 1898) ; Chhattisgarh: Bastar ( Andrewes 1930)

Remarks. Distinct from all other Pheropsophus species in having four yellow wavy spots on elytra (but without humeral spot). Pronotum peculiar with strong cordiform shape.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Dorsal habitus of Pheropsophus from India – A) Pheropsophus andrewesi (Holotype, ‘India: Assam’, ZMHB), B) P. aptinoides (Holotype, ‘East Indies’, MNHN), C) P. bimaculatus (Holotype, ‘Ind.Or.’, LSUK), D) P. cardoni (Syntype, ‘Chota Nagpore, Nowatoli’, ZMHB), E) P. catoirei (Holotype, ‘Bengalia’, MNHN), F) P. chaudoiri (Holotype, ‘Nepal’, BMNH), G) P. consularis (Syntype, ‘Burma’, NMPC), H) P. javanus (Holotype, ‘Java’, MNHN), I) P. lineifrons (Holotype, ‘Ind.Or.’, ZMHB)