Trichotichnus dichrous is a species of ground beetle in the family Carabidae. It was originally described by the French entomologist Pierre François Marie Auguste Dejean in 1829 under the name Harpalus dichrous.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Coleoptera
- Family: Carabidae
- Subfamily: Harpalinae
- Tribe: Harpalini
- Genus: Trichotichnus
- Subgenus: Trichotichnus (Trichotichnus)
- Species: Trichotichnus dichrous (Dejean, 1829)
Synonyms
- Harpalus dichrous Dejean, 1829 (original combination)
- Harpalus versutulus (Casey, 1924)
- Pteropalus fluvialis Casey, 1914
- Pteropalus versutulus Casey, 1924
- Trichotichnus fluvialis (Casey, 1914)
- Trichotichnus iricolor (Say, 1830)
- Trichotichnus versutulus (Casey, 1924)
Description and Etymology
The species is notable for being color-dimorphic, a phenomenon rarely seen in North American carabids. Most adults have the head and pronotum reddish-yellow and the elytra much darker, while a small number of adults are uniformly piceous (dark brown/black). Dejean had only a single specimen of the common morph when he described the species. The strong color contrast between the forebody and elytra prompted him to propose the name dichrous, from the Greek prefix di- (two) and chroma (color of the skin).
Distribution
Trichotichnus dichrous is found in North America, with records from Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Some sources also list Papua New Guinea. Within the United States, it has been documented in the continental US and is considered native.
References
- Bousquet, Y. (2012). "Catalogue of Geadephaga (Coleoptera, Adephaga) of America, north of Mexico." ZooKeys, issue 245: 1–1722. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.245.3416
- Bousquet, Y., & Larochelle, A. (1993). "Catalogue of the Geadephaga (Coleoptera: Trachypachidae, Rhysodidae, Carabidae including Cicindelini) of America North of Mexico." Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Canada, no. 167: 397.
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). Taxonomic Serial No.: 111313.
