Trechus kozlovi, Jeannel, 1935

Belousov, Igor A. & Kabak, Ilya I., 2020, New Trechus species of the kozlovi group from Sichuan (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Zootaxa 4786 (4), pp. 451-484 : 452-453

The kozlovi species group

Doubtless, this group is one of the the most species-rich among Chinese Trechus . Members of the group may be recognized based on the following combination of character states: body size medium; color dark brownish to blackish, more rarely reddish, usually with paler suture and margins of elytra, and yellowish appendages; pronotum transverse, moderately constricted at base, with hind angles usually small but acute and sides shallowly to moderately emarginate posteriorly, the preapical pore is markedly removed from the elytral apex, elytral striation on apical slope: stria 5 joining stria 6, stria 7 joining apical recurrent striole or directed to it, stria 3 joining stria 2 or stria 4. Fore tibiae usually without distinct groove on their exterior surface. Reliable identification of the group members is possible only on the basis of the male genitalia, which may be characterized as follows: median lobe average to rather large, subcylindrical in shape, rather elongate, with apex more or less dilated and forming a button-like structure, endophallus armature consists of two distinct pieces: the proximal one is semi-circular, located near left wall of median lobe while the distal one is usually more elongate and located more dorsally. The exact composition of the group is a matter of future research. For the moment, we list here only some species which may be readily assigned to this group: T. kozlovi Jeannel, 1935 ; T. kaznakovi Jeannel, 1935 ; T. yaralensis Belousov & Kabak, 2000 ; and T. coelestis Sciaky & Pavesi, 1994 . Separation of this group from species centered about T. gansuensis Deuve & Quénnec, 1993 seems to be particularly challenging in some cases and needs more data to be collected and analyzed.

Members of the group are widespread in Gansu, Qinghai and Sichuan provinces.

Most of known taxa are typical for meadow landscapes at high altitudes, few species inhabit the forests floor at middle elevations.