Pheropsophus scythropus ANDREWES, 1923

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 : 80-81

Pheropsophus scythropus ANDREWES, 1923

( Fig. 2 G, 2 H )

= Pheropsophus melancholicus CHAUDOIR,1876 (non Schm. Goeb.)

Ssp. Pheropsophus scythropus dissolutus ANDREWES, 1923

Pheropsophus scythropus Andrewes, 1923b: 221 ; 1930: 275; Jedlička, 1963: 526; Saha and Halder, 2000: 34; Kirschenhofer, 2010: 60; Hrdlička, 2017: 480.

Pheropsophus melancholicus Chaudoir , (non Schm. Goeb.) 1876: 20; Andrewes, 1923a: 40; 1930: 275.

Ssp. Pheropsophus scythropus dissolutus Andrewes, 1923b: 222 ; 1930: 276; Hrdlička, 2017: 480.

Specimens examined (n=2): Holotype, labelled “Gopaldhara, Darjeeling. 3,440–4720 ft., 21.XII.1917, H.Stevens, H.E.Andrewes Coll. B.M. 1945–97 ”, type in BMNH;

Other specimens examined: 1ex., labelled “ Laos: La Casade , 5.I.1918, R.V.de Salvaza, 30Kilm. From Xieng Khonang; ‘Co-type’, H.E. Andrewes Coll. B.M. 1945–97, ‘Lectotype’ Pheropsophus dissolutus Andrewes 1923 , det. Jan Hrdlička ”

Description. Length: 12.0–16.0 mm long; TW: 4.5–5.2

Colour: Black to brownish black; head in front of eyes and beneath, epipleurae (at base), apical margin of elytra, prosternal process, metasternum, palpi, and antennae (darker towards apex) testaceous yellow.

Head: Convex, smooth, wrinkled behind and generally with two or three large punctures near eye, frontal foveae shallow, a small rounded depression on inner margin of eye, eyes moderately prominent, antennae long and thick, reaching beyond middle of elytra.

Pronotum: Convex, as wide as head, and a little longer than wide, sides gently rounded in front and sinuate behind, hind angles right and sharp, projecting faintly laterally; median line shallow, deeper behind at its junction with the clearly marked transverse impression; surface smooth with a few small punctures at sides of base.

Elytra: Convex, wider than pronotum, humerus obliterate, apical truncature with a very distinct re-entrant angle at suture; striations rather narrow, smooth, the outer ones finer, eighth not reaching apex, intervals between the costae finely aciculate.

Geographical distribution. INDIA: Sikkim: Gopaldhara ( Andrewes 1923b); Assam ( Kirschenhofer 2010); Bengal: Kurseong ( Andrewes 1923b), Pashok ( Andrewes 1923b), Mungphu ( Andrewes 1923b); Meghalaya: Shillong ( Andrewes 1923b), Khasi Hills ( Andrewes 1923b); CHINA: Tibet: Pedong ( Andrewes 1923b); BHUTAN: Maria Basti ( Andrewes 1923b).

P. scythropus dissolutus LAOS: Ban Sai, Pang Bo and ‘La Cascade’’ near Xieng Khonang ( Hrdlička 2017). Remarks. Pheropsophus scythropus is evidently allied to P. aptinoides , a much larger insect, but differs by having black head, elongated, glossy, more convex pronotum and apex of femur without black spot. Endemic to Eastern Himalaya hotspot of biodiversity.

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)