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 howellae Barr, 1979 - 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 howellae belongs to subgenus Microtrechus and is included in the Uncifcer Species Group by Barr (1979). In addition to howellae, Bosquet (2012) includes 10 other species in this group, all of which occur in the North Carolina mountains or on the ridges forming the border between North Carolina and Tennessee.
Species Status: The type locality is the east face of Big Butt in the Nantahala Mountains (Barr, 1979)
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: BugGuide, Wikipedia, GBIF   iNaturalistTechnical Description, Adults/Nymphs: Barr (1979)                                                              
Comments: 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]: 3.3-3.9 mm, mean 3.7 (Barr, 1979)
Structural Features: As a member of subgenus Microtrechus, only the first segment of front tarsus is enlarged in males. This species is distinguished from other members of its species group morphometrically and by features of the aedeagus (Barr, 1979).
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: "The type series was collected from wet moss at the base of a vertical cliff face" (Barr, 1979); the elevation at this site appears to be around 4,800' (based on Google Earth). Donabauer (2005a) collected it under stones and leaf litter in a very wet, shaded site.
See also Habitat Account for General High Elevation Forests
Diet: Predatory on small insects and other invertebrates
Observation Methods:
Abundance/Frequency:
Adult Phenology:
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: [SR]
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: [GNR] [S1]
State Protection:
Comments: This species appears to be endemic to a single, high elevation peak in the Nantahala Mountains. Like other members of its genus in North Carolina, it is probably highly vulnerable to the warming and drying impacts of climate change.