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

Trechus nebulosus Barr, 1962 - 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 nebulosus belongs to subgenus Microtrechus and is included in the Nebulosus Species Group by Bosquet (2012). In addition to nebulosus, 21 other species are included in this group, 18 of which occur in North Carolina and the rest in Tennessee.
Species Status: The type locality is Mt. Kephart on the North Carolina-Tennessee line (originally ascribed to Tennessee by Barr,1962, but stated as Sevier County, Tennessee, and Swain County, North Carolina by Barr,1979)
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: BugGuide, Wikipedia, GBIF   iNaturalistTechnical Description, Adults/Nymphs: Barr (1962)                                                              
Comments: "Black to dark piceous, disc of the pronotum and antennal segments III-V slightly darker" (Barr, 1962). 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]: 2.3-4.0 mm, mean 3.7 (Barr, 1962)
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).
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: Known only from high altitudes (5000-6300 feet) along the crest of the Great Smoky Mountains {Barr, 1962). Donabauer (2005b) also reported finding it only at the highest elevations of the GSM ridge, with specimens collected by sifting in wet places and taken from beneath moss mats covering rocks.
See also Habitat Account for Spruce-Fir Forests
Diet: Predatory on small insects and other invertebrates
Observation Methods:
Abundance/Frequency:
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: GNR [S1S2]
State Protection:
Comments: This species is restricted to the highest elevations in our mountains. As a species requiring extremely cool, moist habitats it is likely to be especially imperiled by the drying and warming impacts of climate change. As a species already isolated at the very top of our mountains, there is no possibility of escape by moving further upslope.