Helochares

Helochares is a genus of water scavenger beetles in the family Hydrophilidae, represented by 161 described species. It is distributed across the Afrotropical, Australasian, Indo-Malayan, Nearctic, and Palearctic realms.

Taxonomy
Helochares is one of the largest and most taxonomically problematic genera within the Acidocerinae. It was originally described by Étienne Mulsant in 1844.

For a long time Helochares contained five subgenera: Batochares (currently recognized as a separate genus ), Helochares, Helocharimorphus (now synonymized under Helochares ), Hydrobaticus (now synonymized under Helochares ), and Sindolus (currently recognized as a separate genus ).

Several taxa that used to be recognized as typical Helochares are now assigned to newly created genera (e.g., Colossochares, Novochares) or re-assigned to exinsting genera (i.e., Peltochares), based on a phylogenetic analysis based on molecular data.

Description
As currently defined, Helochares contains small to medium-sized beetles (2–7 mm), which are yellowish to brown in coloration. There is a lot of variation in the impression of the elytral punctation, and the aedeagal forms are also highly variable (see Figure 37 in Girón and Short 2021). A detailed diagnosis can be found in Girón and Short 2021.

Species
• # Helochares aeacus Balfour-Browne, 1952

• # Helochares aethiopicus d'Orchymont, 1939

• # Helochares alberti d'Orchymont, 1943

• # Helochares alcimus d'Orchymont, 1943

• # Helochares alcinous Balfour-Browne, 1948

• # Helochares altus d'Orchymont, 1943

• # Helochares anchoralis Sharp, 1890

• # Helochares ancoroides Hebauer, 2001

• # Helochares anchoralis expansus Knisch, 1921

• # Helochares andreinii d'Orchymont, 1939

• # Helochares androgynus Hebauer, 1996

• # Helochares anthonyae Watts, 1995

• # Helochares balfourbrownei Hansen, 1999

• # Helochares basilewskyi Balfour-Browne, 1957

• # Helochares bilardoi Hebauer, 2009

• # Helochares blaesus d'Orchymont, 1936

• # Helochares bohemani d'Orchymont, 1936

• # Helochares camerunensis d'Orchymont, 1939

• # Helochares cancellatus Hebauer, 1998

• # Helochares championi Sharp, 1882

• # Helochares chappuisi Balfour-Browne, 1952

• # Helochares clypeatus (Blackburn, 1891)

• # Helochares collarti d'Orchymont, 1939

• # Helochares compactus Hebauer, 2001

• # Helochares conformis Hebauer, 1995

• # Helochares congoensis d'Orchymont, 1939

• # Helochares congruens d'Orchymont, 1939

• # Helochares conjectus d'Orchymont, 1939

• # Helochares crenatostriatus Régimbart, 1903

• # Helochares crenatuloides d'Orchymont, 1943

• # Helochares crenatus Régimbart, 1903

• # Helochares crepitus Balfour-Browne, 1950

• # Helochares cresphontes d'Orchymont, 1939

• # Helochares crespulus d'Orchymont, 1939

• # Helochares crispus d'Orchymont, 1939

• # Helochares dalhuntyi Watts, 1995

• # Helochares densepunctus Régimbart, 1907

• # Helochares densus Sharp, 1890

• # Helochares dentalus d'Orchymont, 1943

• # Helochares denudatus d'Orchymont, 1943

• # Helochares depactus d'Orchymont, 1939

• # Helochares diductus d'Orchymont, 1939

• # Helochares didymoides Balfour-Browne, 1947

• # Helochares didymus d'Orchymont, 1939

• # Helochares difficilis d'Orchymont, 1939

• # Helochares dilutus (Erichson, 1843)

• # Helochares dilutus consputus Boheman, 1851

• # Helochares dimorphus d'Orchymont, 1939

• #Helochares distinctus Jia & Tang, 2021

• # Helochares dollmani Balfour-Browne, 1950

• # Helochares dolus d'Orchymont, 1939

• # Helochares egregius Balfour-Browne, 1952

• # Helochares endroedyi Hebauer, 1996

• # Helochares fratris Hebauer, 2003

• # Helochares fulgurans Hebauer, 1995

• # Helochares fuliginosus d'Orchymont, 1932

• # Helochares goticus Hebauer, 1996

• #Helochares guoi Yang & Jia, 2021

• # Helochares hainanensis Dong and Bian, 2021

• # Helochares hiekei Hebauer, 1995

• # Helochares insolitus d'Orchymont, 1925

• # Helochares interjectus Hebauer, 1998

• # Helochares iteratus Hebauer, 1996

• # Helochares itylus Balfour-Browne, 1952

• # Helochares ivani Hebauer, 1996

• # Helochares kerstinneumanni Hebauer, 2009

• # Helochares knischi d'Orchymont, 1939

• # Helochares laevis Short and Girón, 2018

• # Helochares lamprus d'Orchymont, 1940

• # Helochares lentus Sharp, 1890

• # Helochares lepidus d'Orchymont, 1943

• # Helochares leptinus d'Orchymont, 1943

• # Helochares letus d'Orchymont, 1943

• # Helochares livianus d'Orchymont, 1939

• # Helochares lividoides Hansen and Hebauer, 1988

• # Helochares lividus (Forster, 1771)

• # Helochares lobatus d'Orchymont, 1948

• # Helochares lollius d'Orchymont, 1939

• # Helochares loticus Hebauer, 1998

• # Helochares loweryae Watts, 1995

• # Helochares luridus (MacLeay, 1871)

• # Helochares lutulentus Balfour-Browne, 1952

• # Helochares maculatus Hebauer, 1988

• # Helochares maculicollis Mulsant, 1844

• # Helochares madli Hebauer, 2002

• # Helochares marreensis Watts, 1995

• # Helochares mecarus d'Orchymont, 1939

• # Helochares mediastinus d'Orchymont, 1939

• # Helochares melanophthalmus (Mulsant, 1844)

• # Helochares mendosus Hebauer, 1996

• # Helochares mentinotus Kuwert, 1888

• # Helochares menulus d'Orchymont, 1943

• # Helochares meracus Balfour-Browne, 1950

• # Helochares mersus d'Orchymont, 1939

• # Helochares minax d'Orchymont, 1939

• # Helochares minor d'Orchymont, 1925

• # Helochares minusculus d'Orchymont, 1943

• # Helochares namcatensis Hebauer, 2002

• # Helochares nebridius d'Orchymont, 1940

• # Helochares negatus Hebauer, 1995

• # Helochares neglectus (Hope, 1845)

• # Helochares nexus Short and Girón, 2018

• # Helochares nigrifrons Brancsik, 1893

• # Helochares nigripalpis Hebauer and Hendrich, 1999

• # Helochares nigritulus Kuwert, 1889

• # Helochares nigroseriatus Hebauer, 1998

• # Helochares niobelus d'Orchymont, 1939

• # Helochares nipponicus Hebauer, 1995

• # Helochares normatus (LeConte, 1861)

• # Helochares notaticollis Régimbart, 1906

• # Helochares notaticollis curtus Régimbart, 1906

• # Helochares obliquus Mart, İncekara and Karaca, 2010

• # Helochares obscurus (Müller, 1776)

• # Helochares opacus Hebauer, 2009

• # Helochares pallens (MacLeay, 1825)

• # Helochares parallelus Hebauer, 1999

• # Helochares percyi Watts, 1995

• # Helochares perminutus Hebauer, 1996

• # Helochares phallicus d'Orchymont, 1936

• # Helochares politus Short and Girón, 2018

• # Helochares punctatus Sharp, 1869

• # Helochares rugipennis Balfour-Browne, 1958

• # Helochares salvazai d'Orchymont, 1919

• # Helochares sauteri d'Orchymont, 1943

• # Helochares schoedli Hebauer, 1996

• # Helochares schwendingeri Hebauer, 1995

• # Helochares scitulus Balfour-Browne, 1952

• # Helochares sechellensis Régimbart, 1903

• # Helochares serpentinus Hebauer, 1998

• # Helochares sharpi (Kuwert, 1890)

• # Helochares silvester Hebauer, 2009

• # Helochares simulator Knisch, 1922

• # Helochares skalei Hebauer, 2002

• # Helochares songi Jia and Tang, 2018

• # Helochares steffani Hebauer, 2002

• # Helochares stenius d'Orchymont, 1943

• # Helochares striatus (Boheman, 1851)

• # Helochares strictus d'Orchymont, 1939

• # Helochares strigellus Hebauer, 2002

• # Helochares structus d'Orchymont, 1936

• # Helochares sublineatus Hebauer, 2002

• # Helochares subseriatus Hebauer, 2009

• # Helochares subtilis d'Orchymont, 1936

• # Helochares sufflavus Balfour-Browne, 1952

• # Helochares sylvaticus Balfour-Browne, 1957

• # Helochares tamsi Balfour-Browne, 1947

• # Helochares tatei (Blackburn, 1896)

• # Helochares tengchongensis Dong and Bian, 2021

• # Helochares tenuistriatus Régimbart, 1908

• # Helochares tertius Hebauer, 1996

• # Helochares thurmerae Watts, 1995

• # Helochares tristis (MacLeay, 1871)

• # Helochares trujillo Short and Girón, 2018

• # Helochares uenoi Matsui, 1995

• # Helochares uhligi Hebauer, 1999

• # Helochares vitalisi d'Orchymont, 1919

• # Helochares wagneri Hebauer, 2002

• # Helochares wattsi Hebauer and Hendrich, 1999

• # Helochares wuzhifengensis Dong and Bian, 2021

• # Helochares yangae Hebauer, Hendrich, and Balke, 1999

• # Helochares zamora Short and Girón, 2018