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

Trechus inexpectatus Barr, 1985 - 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 inexpectatus belongs to subgenus Microtrechus and is included in the Uncifer Species Group by Barr (1979). In addition to inexpectatus, 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 Camp Creek Bald on the North Carolina-Tennessee state line (Barr, 1985)
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: BugGuide, Wikipedia, GBIF   iNaturalistTechnical Description, Adults/Nymphs: Barr (1985)                                                              
Comments: "Dark castaneous; legs, mouthparts, and basal antennal segments paler but not flavous as in uncifer, consequently less contrasting" (Barr, 1985). Members of this genus generally show too little variation in pattern for standard photographs to be used to identify particular species.
Total Length [body plus wings; excludes ovipositor]: 3.46-3.59 mm (N = 2) (Barr, 1985)
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, 1962, 1979, 1985).
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 locality is located just below the summit of Camp Creek Bald, at about 4,760' (Barr, 1985) but no other information about the habitat was provided. Hardwood forests occur over most of this ridge (based on Google Earth), but some high elevation conifers are also present but not currently forming an intact stand.
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 [SH]
State Protection:
Comments: The type series consists of just two specimens and Donabauer was unable to find any specimens in 2004, although he sampled several sites at Camp Creek Bald and found 150 specimens of other species of Trechus on that trip. His conclusion was that inexpectatus is exceedingly rare.