Beetles of North Carolina
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Scientific Name: Common Name:
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View Carabidae Members:
Members of Trechus:
2 NC Records

Trechus carolinae Schaeffer, 1901 - No Common Name

Taxonomy
Family: Carabidae Subfamily: Trechinae                                                             
Comments: One of 82 species in this genus that have been recorded in North America north of Mexico, 42 of which occur in North Carolina (Bosquet, 2012). Trechus carolinae belongs to subgenus Trechus and is included in the Hydropicus Species Group by Barr (1979, 1985). Other members of this group that occur in North Carolina are Trechus hydropicus, schwarzi, mitchellensis, caliginis, and roanicus; Trechus cumberlandus is the only other member of this group and is restricted to the Cumberland Plateau in Kentucky and Tennessee.
Species Status: The type locality is Mt. Mitchell (Schaeffer, 1901)
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: BugGuide, Wikipedia, GBIF   iNaturalistTechnical Description, Adults/Nymphs: Barr (1962, 1979)                                                              
Comments: "Pale, reddish-piceous, robust and very convex, shining" (Barr, 1962). Generally, members of this genus show too little variation in pattern for standard photographs to be used to identify particular species.
Total Length [body plus wings; excludes ovipositor]: 4.4-4.8 mm, mean 4.6 (Barr, 1962); 4.5-5.0 mm (Barr, 1979)
Structural Features: As a member of subgenus Trechus, the first and second segments of front tarsus are both enlarged in males. This species is distinguished from other members of its species group morphometrically and by features of the aedeagus (Barr, 1962, 1979). Barr (1979) described this species as very large for this genus.
Distribution in North Carolina
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥
 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) <
 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)
Click on graph to enlarge
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Inhabits "deep spruce and fir needle duff near the summits of the Black Mountains. On Mt. Mitchell. I have taken a small number of specimens by prying back the duff layer at the bases of low, wet cliffs near the summit" (Barr, 1979)
See also Habitat Account for Spruce-Fir Forests
Diet: Predatory on small insects and other invertebrates
Observation Methods:
Abundance/Frequency: Considered rare by Barr (1962,1979) even at the type locality
Adult Phenology: Not enough information exists for this species to determine its phenology
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: [SR]
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GH [SHS1]
State Protection:
Comments: This species is globally known only from the type locality, where it has apparently not been seen since Barr was able to find only 8 specimens in 1960 (see Barr, 1962). Like other members of this genus, it is likely to be highly vulnerable to the warming and drying impacts of climate change. As a summit species, there is no possibility for it to adjust its range.