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).[1] A detailed diagnosis can be found in Girón and Short 2021.[1] Females carry their eggs in a cocoon anchored to the hind femora and held under the abdomen as in several other Hydrophilidae.[2]
Taxonomy
Helochares is one of the largest and most taxonomically problematic genera within the Acidocerinae. It was originally described by Étienne Mulsant in 1844. [3]
For a long time Helochares contained five subgenera: Batochares (currently recognized as a separate genus [4]), Helochares, Helocharimorphus (now synonymized under Helochares[1]), Hydrobaticus (now synonymized under Helochares[1]), and Sindolus (currently recognized as a separate genus [4]).
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. [4]
^Balfour-Browne, J. (1952). "Contribution à l'étude du peuplement de la Mauritanie. Coléoptères Hydrophilides". Bulletin de l'Institut français d'Afrique noire. 14 (2): 513–517.
^d’Orchymont, A. (1939). "L'Helochares minutissimus Kuwert, vrai". Bulletin et Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique. 79: 196–198.
^d’Orchymont, A. (1943). "Nouvelles notes sur les Helochares (Hydrobaticus) (Coleoptera Palpi-cornia Hydrophilidae)". Bulletin du Musée royal d'Histoire naturelle de Belgique. 19 (20): 1–12.
^d’Orchymont, A. (1943). "Nouvelles notes sur les Helochares (Hydrobaticus). (Coleoptera Palpicornia Hydrophilidae)". Bulletin du Musée royal d'Histoire naturelle de Belgique. 19 (20): 1–12.
^ abHebauer, F. (2001). "Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Hydrophilidae von Neuguinea. Ergebnisse der zoologischen Forschungsreisen von M. Balke und L. Hendrich nach West Neuguinea (Irian Jaya) in den Jahren 1990–1998 (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae)". Acta Coleopterologica. 17 (1): 3–72.
^d’Orchymont, A. (1939). "Helochares (Hydrobaticus) Andreinii n. sp. H. melanophthalmus Régimbart, 1905 (nec Mulsant, non Reiche)". Redia. 25: 319–323.
^ abcdefgHebauer, F. (1996). "Synopsis der afrikanischen Arten der Gattung Helochares Mulsant (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae)". Acta Coleopterologica. 12: 3–38.
^ abcdefWatts, C.H.S. (1995). "Revision of the Australasian genera Agraphydrus Rogimbart, Chasmogenus Sharp and Helochares Mulsant (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae)". Records of the South Australian Museum. 28 (1): 113–130.
^Hansen, M. (1999). World catalogue of insects (Volume 2). Hydrophiloidea (s. str.) (Coleoptera). Stenstrup: Apollo Books. pp. 414 pp.
^Balfour-Browne, J (1957). "Contributions à l'étude de la faune entomologique du Ruanda-Urun-di (Mission P. Basilewsky 1953). CXVIII. Coleoptera Hydrophilidae". Annales du Musée Royal du Congo Belge, Zool. 58: 14–25.
^ abcdeHebauer, F. (2009). "Five new species of the genus Helochares MacLeay, 1871 from Gabon and the Congo (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae)". Acta Coleopterologica. 25: 3–8.
^ abcdeHebauer, F. (1998). "Six new species of the genus Helochares Mulsant, 1844, subgenus Hydrobaticus Mac Leay, 1871 from Africa and Asia (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae)". Acta Coleopterologica. 14: 41–46.
^Balfour-Browne, J. (1952). "Mission A. Villiers au Togo et au Dahomey (1950). VII. Coléoptères Hydrophilides". Bulletin de l'Institut français d'Afrique noire. 14: 126–139.
^Balfour-Browne, J. (1950). "On the aquatic Coleoptera of Northern Rhodesia (Dytiscidae, Gyr-inidae and Palpicornia)". Occasional Papers of the National Museums of Southern Rhodesia. 2 (16): 359–399.
^Hebauer, F. (2003). "Checklist of the Malagasy Helochares with description of a new species (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae)". Acta Coleopterologica. 19 (1): 67–69.
^ abcdHebauer, F. (1995). "Neues zu den Acidocerina Hansen (Helocharae d'Orchymont) der indomalaiischen Region (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae)". Acta Coleopterologica. 11 (3): 3–14.
^Hebauer, F. (1988). "Hydrophiloidea aus Namibia (Coleoptera; Hydrophilidae, Spercheidae)". Bonner zoologische Beiträge. 39: 153–161.
^ abcdefgHebauer, F. (2002). "New Hydrophilidae of the Old World (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae)". Acta Coleopterologica. 18 (3): 3–24.
^ abHebauer, Franz; Hendrich, Lars (1999). "Two new species of Helochares from Northern Australia (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae)". Entomological Problems. 30 (1): 47–51.
^ abHebauer, F. (1999). "Neue und wenig bekannte Hydrophiloidea aus dem südlichen Afrika (Co-leoptera: Hydrophiloidea)". Acta Coleopterologica. 15 (2): 7–16.
^Matsui, E. (1995). "A new species of the genus Helochares (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae) from Japan, with a key to the Japanese species of the subgenus Hydrobaticus". Special Bulletin of the Japanese Society of Coleopterology. 4: 317–322.