Pheropsophus SOLIER 1833

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 : 66-67

Pheropsophus SOLIER 1833

Pheropsophus Solier, 1833: 461 ; Lacordaire, 1854: 99; Chaudoir, 1876: 16; Arrow, 1901: 193; Hubenthal, 1914: 437; Andrewes, 1924a: 55; 1930: 270; Jedlička, 1963: 524; Erwin, 1970: 34; 1971: 1; Habu, 1984: 119; Saha et al., 1992: 50; Prasad, 1997: 993; Saha and Halder, 2000: 33; Hrdlička, 2003: 212–218; 2017: 471–480.

Stenaptinus Maindron, 1906: 15; Hubenthal, 1911: 547; Erwin, 1971: 1; Habu, 1984: 119; Hrdlička, 2003: 212–218; 2017: 471–480.

Head: Base slightly attenuated, cylindrical, surface coarse. Ligula narrow, slightly obtuse, bisetose (in P. aequinoctialis ventrally more pubescent, highly convex). Glossae narrow, bisetose; paraglossae membranous, long, as long as ligula, rounded apically, translucent. Palpi with thick posterior margin (crassiusculi), subglabrous, covered with very few hairs; Maxillary palpi with penultimate segment short, terminal segment subcompressed, truncate, subsecuriform; the last segment of labial palpi dilated at its extremity and more or less securiform. Mentum deeply emarginated, more or less arcuate at the base, median tooth absent, lateral lobes parallel and long, apex acute and rounded, narrowed towards base; absolutely connate, suture obliterate. Labrum glabrous, flat, transverse, very narrow, anterior angle obtuse and widely rounded. Antennae long, pubescent, 1 st segment little less pubescent, 2 nd segment short, 3 rd and following longer, rectangular.

Pronotum: Usually squared, posterior narrow, rarely subcordate.

Elytra: Mostly 8-costate; substantially wider than the pronotum at their base, subparallel or enlarged towards apex, apex almost straight and interior truncate.

Venter: Epimeron of intermediate size, exterior narrow, parallel, interior more or less dilated. Episternum elongate, longitudinal depression obliquely truncate, posterior strongly attenuate, almost triangular.

Legs: Strong, long; femur moderately covered by series of punctuations and hairs; tibiae spinulose, spines arranged more in series, anteriorly glabrous; tarsi surface densely covered with hairs, segments subcylindrical, base attenuated, ♂ pro tarsi with 2 rows of lamellate projections underneath.

Type species — Carabus complanatus Fabricius 1775 (designated by Hope 1838)

Geographical distribution. Cosmopolitan.