Tetracha Hope, 1838

Bousquet, Yves, 2012, Catalogue of Geadephaga (Coleoptera, Adephaga) of America, north of Mexico, ZooKeys 245, pp. 1-1722 : 207-208

Genus Tetracha Hope, 1838

Gnatho Illiger, 1807: 348 [potential nomen oblitum, see Bousquet (2002b: 23)]. Type species: Cicindela carolina Linnaeus, 1763 designated by Bousquet (2002b: 24). Etymology. Uncertain, either from the Latin Gnatho (name of a parasite in Eunuchus , title of a comedy by Terence; a parasite in general) or the Greek gnathos (jaw).

Tetracha Hope, 1838: 6 [potential nomen protectum]. Type species: Cicindela carolina Linnaeus, 1763 by monotypy. Etymology. From the Greek tetra (four) and perhaps chaite (long hair) contracted, possibly alluding to the presence of four setae on the labrum (Naviaux 2007: 16) [feminine].

Diversity.

Western Hemisphere, with about 95 species (110 species-group taxa) (Naviaux 2007: 3) in the Nearctic (four species, only one endemic) and Neotropical (about 95 species) Regions. The species are arrayed in seven subgenera: Apterotetracha Naviaux (three Brazilian species), Microtetracha Naviaux (one Argentine species), Neotetracha (about 55 species), Oblongotetracha Naviaux (one Venezuelan species), Paratetracha Naviaux (five South American species), Prototetracha Naviaux (one Mexican species), and Tetracha s.str. (29 species).

Identification.

Naviaux (2007) recently revised the species and provided keys for the subgenera and the species groups but not for all species. Pearson et al. (2006: 24) field guide to the tiger beetles of North America included a key to all North American species ( Tetracha impressa under the name Tetracha affinis ) except Tetracha floridana . Naviaux (2007: 42-43) redescribed Tetracha floridana and pointed out the structural differences between the species and Tetracha carolina .

Taxonomic Note.

In their phylogenetic analysis based on the nuclear 18S and the mitochondrial 16S and cytochrome oxidase III genes, Zerm et al. (2007) found out that the genus Tetracha was paraphyletic in regard to the monospecific genus Aniara Hope and that the two genera and Phaeoxantha form a clade.

Faunistic Note.

From a zoogeographical point of view it is of interest to note that a specimen identical to present day Tetracha carolina carolina has been found in amber from the east coast of Germany (Horn 1906).