Bombardier beetles of the genus Pheropsophus Solier 1833 (Carabidae: Brachininae: Brachinini) from Indian subcontinent Author Venugopal, Akhil S. Author Thomas, Sabu K. text Zootaxa 2019 2019-05-17 4608 1 65 89 journal article 21232 10.11646/zootaxa.4608.1.3 c4d067fa-4c56-4248-8084-caf4dd1eea21 1175-5326 3993611 3540218C-34FA-4D91-925A-3E89C6C3A7C1 Pheropsophus prophylax HELLER, 1903 ( Fig. 2 F ) Pheropsophus prophylax Heller, 1903: 247 ; Andrewes, 1930: 275 ; Saha and Halder, 2000: 33 ; Kirschenhofer, 2010: 60 ; Hrdlička, 2017: 480 . Specimen examined (n=1) : Holotype , labelled “ India Or. Manipur , Doherty , Fry Coll. 1905.100, Pheropsophus prophylax Heller H.E. Andrewes det.”, type in BMNH Description. Length: 18.0–19.0 mm Colour: Glossy brownish black; head, pronotum, elytra black; eyes grey; yellowish spot over the epistome; middle of the forehead with a crescent-shaped bright transverse spot; reddish brown border towards pronotum which extends laterally towards the base of eyes; antennal segments 1–2 light reddish brown, 3–4 brownish black and rest dark brown legs with coxa reddish brown; trochanter and femur pale reddish yellow with femur having a dark black ring on the posterior end (apex black); tibia more reddish brown and tarsi brownish; ventral side of head yellowish-brown with gula reddish yellow, gular sutures black; prosternum and mesosternum black while metasternum having reddish yellow patch in the middle. Head: Pentagonal, eyes protruding; wrinkled neck; with long supra orbital setae. Pronotum: Narrow, longer than wide, anterior a little wider; hind angle obtuse-right; lateral margins convex anteriorly, straight posteriorly; anterior margin concave, posterior straight; surface glabrous (but with two long setae in the center of disc towards the lateral margin); median furrow absent. Elytra: Convex with base narrowed, wider towards apex (posterior region just before the apex the widest); humerus obliterate, striations flattened; entirely black without any spots. Geographical distribution. INDIA : Assam : Sibsagar ( Andrewes 1930 ) ; Arunachal Pradesh and Assam : Dafla Hills ( Andrewes 1930 ); Meghalaya : Garo Hills , Chandkira ( Andrewes 1930 ) ; Manipur ( Heller 1903 ). Remarks. Pheropsophus prophylax is quite similar to P. aptinoides from which it differs by black head; long, narrow pronotum. It is endemic to the Indo-Burma hotspot of biodiversity.