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

Trechus novaculosus 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 novaculosus belongs to subgenus Microtrechus and is included in the Nebulosus Species Group by Bosquet (2012). In addition to novaculosus, 21 other species are included in this group, 18 of which occur in North Carolina and the rest in Tennessee.
Species Status: Type locality is Clingman's Dome, Swain County, NC (Barr, 1962)
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: BugGuide, Wikipedia, GBIF   iNaturalistTechnical Description, Adults/Nymphs: (Barr, 1962)                                                              
Comments: "Piceous, brilliantly shining; form robust and subconvex" (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]: 4.2-4.7 mm, mean 4.4 (Barr, 1969)
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: Restricted to Spruce-Fir Forests, where it occurs under and among rocks in wet places near seeps and springs at altitudes above 5500 feet (Barr, 1962; 1979)
See also Habitat Account for Spruce-Fir Forests
Diet: Predatory on small insects and other invertebrates
Observation Methods:
Abundance/Frequency: Barr (1962) described this species as "scarce"
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 [G1] [S1]
State Protection:
Comments: NatureServe (accessed 2021-01-06) speculated that this species could be extinct, although there is a record from the type locality from 2004 (Donabauer, 2005b). As an endemic of Spruce-Fir habitats along a single mountain crest, this species appears to be highly vulnerable to the warming and drying impacts of climate change as well as various other impacts that are affecting the canopy of the Spruce-Fir forests upon which it depends for its microclimate.