Pheropsophus aptinoides CHAUDOIR, 1876

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 : 68

Pheropsophus aptinoides CHAUDOIR, 1876

( Fig. 1 B )

Pheropsophus aptinoides Chaudoir, 1876: 19 ; Heller, 1903: 246; Andrewes, 1930: 270; Kirschenhofer, 2010: 55.

Specimens examined (n=1): Holotype (by monotypy); “East Indies, MS. Stevens” ( Exact locality unknown); type in MNHN

Description. Length: 20.0 mm

Colour: Head both above and below, middle of the metasternum, base of the antennae, trochanters and legs reddish-yellow; pronotum and prosternum, elytra as well as a spot on apex of mesofemur and metafemur, black; elytra with the apical margin yellow, colour extends along the striations; antennae with only the scape (1 st segment) reddish yellow, rest dark brown.

Head: Large; antennae slender; eyes protruding; neck wrinkled

Pronotum: Anterior margin convex, basal margin concave, lateral margin convex in anterior 3/4 th, straight in posterior 1/4 th, narrowed towards the base, disc smooth and convex.

Elytra: Elongated, convex on sides, width increasing towards apex; humerus obliterate; surface flat; striations narrow, shallow, separated by flat intervals, aciculate.

Legs: Apex of femur with black spot; tibiae with spines arranged in rows; tarsi with brownish black ring at its posterior edge.

Geographical distribution. Eastern India ( Chaudoir 1876)

Remarks. This species may have not been recorded from India as ‘East Indies’ as the type locality could mean any locality in South and Southeast Asia.

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)