# 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.

## 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. Females carry their eggs in a cocoon anchored to the hind femora and held under the abdomen as in several other Hydrophilidae.

## 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.

## 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