Beetles of North Carolina
Family (Alpha):
Scientific Name: Common Name:
« »
View Carabidae Members:
Members of Trechus:
8 NC Records

Trechus tusquitee 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). This species was placed in the Vandykei Species Group by Barr (1979). This group now contains 10 species, all of which occur in North Carolina with some extending into the neighboring states (Bosquet, 2012).
Species Status: The type locality is Tusquitee Bald in the Nantahala Mountains (Barr, 1979)
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: BugGuide, Wikipedia, GBIF   iNaturalistTechnical Description, Adults/Nymphs: Barr (1979)                                                              
Comments: "Form small, robust, sub-convex; color piceous, shining, appendages all pale, contrasting" (Barr, 1979). In general, 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]: 2.6-3.2 mm, mean 2.8 (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 altitudinal range of tusquitee is about 3500 to 5000 feet (1070 to 1525 m); it was collected near Old Road Gap on the slopes of Tusquitee Bald, on the north-facing cliff at the summit of Tusquitee Bald, at a spring on the same mountain at an intermediate elevation, at about 4500 feet (1370 m) near the summit of Joanna Bald, and at 5060 feet (1540 m) on the summit of Cheoah Bald" (Barr, 1979)
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] [S1S2]
State Protection:
Comments: This species is known from only three sites in the southwestern mountains of North Carolina. Although it has been recorded above 5,000' at one site, it has also been found below 4,000' at one site, a comparatively low elevation for our species of Trechus. Like other members of this genus, it is probably vulnerable to the warming and drying impacts of climate change.