Trechus Clairville, 1806

Bousquet, Yves, 2012, Catalogue of Geadephaga (Coleoptera, Adephaga) of America, north of Mexico, ZooKeys 245, pp. 1-1722 : 332

Genus Trechus Clairville, 1806

Trechus Clairville, 1806: 22. Type species: Carabus rubens Fabricius, 1801 designated by Blanchard [in Audouin et al. 1841: plate 25]. Etymology. From the Greek trechis (runner), probably alluding to the quickness of the adults in the field [masculine]. Note. As stated by Andrewes (1939: 157), the first valid type species designation for Trechus Clairville, 1806 is that of Latreille (1810: 426) who designated Carabus meridianus Linnaeus, 1760. This species is also the type species of Acupalpus Latreille, 1829. Acceptance of Latreille’s designation would require nomenclatural changes for two extensive, well-known genera. A request should be addressed to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature to suppress Latreille’s designation. A first request was postponed (ICZN 1950).

Diversity.

About 870 species arrayed in eight subgenera: Arabotrechus Mateu (one Yemenite species), Atlantotrechus Lompe (one species in the Madeira Islands), Elgonophyes Jeannel (one Afrotropical species), Elgonotrechus Jeannel (14 Afrotropical species), Meruitrechus Jeannel (two Afrotropical species), Microtrechus (41 species), Minitrechus Vigna Taglianti and Magrini (one species in Ethiopia), and Trechus s.str. (about 775 species). More than 92% of the species are found in the Palaearctic Region.