Novochares


Novochares is a primarily Neotropical genus of water scavenger beetles in the family Hydrophilidae represented by 15 described species, one of which is thought to be introduced in Florida in the United States of America.

Taxonomy

The genus Novochares was created by Girón & Short in 2021 to accommodate 15 species formerly placed in the genus Helochares that occur across Central and South America, and some of the Lesser Antilles.
It belongs in the subfamily Acidocerinae.

Description

Medium-sized beetles, smooth and shiny dorsally, brown to dark brown in coloration, with long maxillary palps. There is a lot of variation in aedeagal forms. A complete diagnosis was presented by Girón and Short.

Habitat

According to Girón and Short, "Species of Novochares occur in a broad range of both lentic and lotic habitats".

Species

  1. Novochares abbreviatus : Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, French Guiana, Lesser Antilles, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela.
  2. Novochares atlanticus : Brazil
  3. Novochares atratus : Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador ; Paraguay.
  4. Novochares bolivianus : Bolivia
  5. Novochares carmona : Costa Rica
  6. Novochares chaquensis : Argentina, Brazil
  7. Novochares cochlearis : Argentina, Paraguay
  8. Novochares coya : Bolivia
  9. Novochares guadelupensis : Guadeloupe
  10. Novochares inornatus : Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana
  11. Novochares oculatus : Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama;
  12. Novochares pallipes : Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay
  13. Novochares pichilingue : Ecuador
  14. Novochares sallaei : U.S.A.. Belize, Costa Rica, Mexico
  15. Novochares tectiformis : Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela