Pheropsophus javanus (Dejean, 1825)

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 : 73-74

Pheropsophus javanus ( DEJEAN, 1825)

( Fig. 1 H )

= Brachinus interruptus SCHMIDT GOEBEL, 1846 (non Dejean)

= Brachinus fimbriatus CHAUDOIR, 1876 (originally in Dejean, Cat. p.13)

= Pheropsophus agnatus CHAUDOIR, 1876

= Pheropsophus kuntzeni DUPIUS, 1914

Brachinus javanus Dejean, 1825: 305 ; Redtenbacher, 1844: 5; Chaudoir, 1876: 42; Heyne-Tasch, 1908: 14; Bouchard, 1903: 173; Andrewes, 1923(1924b): 460; 1930: 273; Jedlička, 1963: 529; Habu, 1984: 123; Hrdlička, 2017: 480.

Brachinus interruptus Schmidt-Goebel , (non Dejean) 1846: 74; Andrewes, 1923: 44; 1930: 273.

Brachinus fimbriatus Chaudoir, 1876: 42 ; Andrewes, 1930: 273.

Pheropsophus agnatus Chaudoir, 1876: 43 ; Bates, 1889: 281; 1892b: 392; Lewis, 1896: 331; Dupuis, 1913: 419; Arrow, 1915: 499; Andrewes, 1930: 273.

Pheropsophus kuntzeni Dupuis, 1914: 29 ; Andrewes, 1927: 110; 1930: 273.

Specimen examined (n=1): Holotype, labelled “in Inf Java, G.J. Arrow vidit 1901, Ex. Musaeo Chaudoir ”, type in MNHN Paris

Description. Length: 18.0–19.0 mm; TW: 6.8–7.3 mm

Colour: Head reddish yellow; large black coloured spot present over the vertex of head; palpi reddish yellow; antennae pale reddish yellow, brownish from the fourth segment onwards; eyes grey; pronotum black with two pale reddish- yellow oval spots on either sides of the median furrow; elytra black; legs with anterior half of coxa reddish yellow and posterior half reddish brown; femur and tibia reddish yellow with a black round spot on the apex of the femur; tarsi reddish brown with dark brown claws. Underside of head reddish yellow; prosternum reddish brown with reddish yellow spot at the tip; mesosternum and metasternum with centrally reddish yellow and brownish lateral border; mesepisternum reddish yellow while proepisternum and metepisternum brownish black; sternites with anterior reddish brown and posterior brownish black.

Head: Broad; eyes protruding; with a prominent spot (of various shape) on vertex; labrum convex, long and protruding.

Pronotum: Lateral edges subparallel, narrowing posteriorly; wider than the head; distinct median longitudinal furrow; yellowish spot on both side of the median furrow, not reaching the lateral margins.

Elytra: Narrow, elongated, subparallel, with both base and apex narrower than mid region; humeral spot present (of varying size); median transverse band narrow and with highly serrated edges; apical margin yellowish only along the striations.

Venter: Body underside generally pubescent.

Geographical distribution. INDIA: Assam: Margherita; Odisha: Balighai (Andrewes 1923); Kerala: Malabar ( Andrewes 1930); Throughout MYANMAR (Schmidt-Goebel 1846) and the Malay Peninsula ( Habu 1984); THAI- LAND ( Habu 1984); ‘Indo- China’ ( Habu 1984). CHINA ( Habu 1984); JAPAN ( Habu 1984); TAIWAN (Dupius 1914); VIETNAM ( Bates 1889); INDONESIA: Java ( Dejean 1825). Sumatra ( Andrewes 1930). Borneo ( Habu 1984). Palembang ( Bouchard 1903); PHILIPPINES ( Andrewes 1930); NEW GUINEA (Darlington 1968); RUS- SIA: Far East ( Hrdlička 2017).

Remarks. Pherosophus javanus is closely placed to P. occipitalis , P. picicollis and P. consularis and Jedlička (1963) considered all as variants of P. javanus . However we disagree with Jedlička (1963), as P. javanus is distinct from P. occipitalis by having simple broad, rectangular black spot over vertex, pronotum rectangular with anterior and posterior margins straight, elytral median transverse band narrow, apex of elytra straightly truncate; distinct from P. picicollis by having smaller black spot over vertex, presence of reddish yellow spots on pronotum, narrow and highly serrated elytral median transverse band, elytral apical band very faint, apex of elytra straightly truncate; and distinct from P. consularis by the presence of simple black spot on head, wider pronotum, rectangular elytra with lateral margins subparallel, elytral humeral spot larger, elytral median transverse band narrow.

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)