Cychrus hemphillii
G.Horn, 1879
Hemphill's rare snail-eating beetle
Species Guides
2Cychrus hemphillii is a of ground beetle in the Carabinae, described by George Henry Horn in 1878. It is one of the "snail-eating beetles" in the tribe Cychrini, characterized by its elongated, narrow adapted for extracting snails from their shells. The species occurs in western North America with two recognized : the nominate form in Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming, and C. h. rickseckeri in British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Cychrus hemphillii: /ˈsɪkrəs hɛmˈfɪli.aɪ/
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Distribution
United States (Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Oregon, Washington) and Canada (British Columbia). The nominate C. h. hemphillii occurs in Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming, while subspecies C. h. rickseckeri occurs in British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.
Similar Taxa
- Cychrus tuberculatusAnother North American Cychrus with similar elongated , but differs in geographic distribution and specific pronotal and elytral sculpturing
- Cychrus minorSmaller western North American with similar snail-feeding but distinct size and body proportions
More Details
Subspecies
Two are recognized: Cychrus hemphillii hemphillii (Idaho, Utah, Wyoming) and Cychrus hemphillii rickseckeri LeConte, 1884 (British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington). The subspecific epithet rickseckeri honors collector H.G. Ricksecker.
Etymology
The specific epithet hemphillii presumably honors an individual associated with the original collection, though the exact namesake is not definitively documented in available sources.