Helophorus

Taxobox
name = "Helophorus"

---

image_caption = "Helophorus aquaticus"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Insecta
ordo = Coleoptera
subordo = Polyphaga
superfamilia = Hydrophiloidea
familia = Helophoridae
familia_authority = Leach, 1815
genus = "Helophorus"
genus_authority = Fabricius, 1775
subdivisionsee text

"Helophorus" are the only genus in the beetle family Helophoridae. They are small insects, found mainly in the Holarctic region (150 occur in Palearctic and 41 species in North America), but two or three species also live in the Afrotropical region, Central America and one in the Indomalayan region (northern India). [Angus R.B., 1992. Insecta: Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae: Helophorinae, pp. XI + 144. In: Schwoerbel J. & Zwick P. (eds.), Süsswasserfauna von Mitteleuropa, Band 20/10-2.Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg, Berlin] [Mart, A, Erman, O., A Study on Helophorus Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae) Species. Turk. J. Zool. 25 (2001) 35-40]

Characteristics

Length about 2-9 mm. Body elongate with outline more or less interrupted between pronotum and elytra. On pronotum they have granulate sculpture and unique pattern of 7 longitudinal grooves. Ventral surface is with fine microsculpture, pubescent. Larvae are with long 3 segmented urogomphi and simple (non lobate) 8th tergum. They have four-segmented legs and a 10 segmented abdomen (with the 10-th segment being a bit reduced). [M.Hansen. Phylogeny and classification of the staphyliniform beetle families (Coleoptera). Biologiske Skrifter 48, Copenhagen, 1997]

ystematics and evolution

Helophoridae belong to the Hydrophiloidea superfamily, and may be the sister taxon of Hydrochidae, [E.Anton, R.G.Beutel, On the Head Morphology and Systematic Position of Helophorus (Coleoptera: Hydrophiloidea: Helophoridae.)Zoologischer Anzeiger - A Journal of Comparative Zoology, Vol.242, 4, 2004] or a clade comprising Hydrochidae, Hydrophilidae and Spercheidae or Georissidae and Epimetopidae [M.S.Caterino et al. On the constitution and phylogeny of Staphyliniformia (Insecta: Coleoptera), Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Vol.34 - 3, 2005] . Earlier systems included Helophoridae in the family Hydrophilidae as the subfamily Helophorinae. There are about 180 living species, including:The genus is divided into many subgenera ("Atracthelophorus", "Cyphelophorus","Empleurus", "Eutrichelophorus", "Gephelophorus", "Helophorus", "Orphelophorus", "Rhopalohelophorus" and "Transithelophorus").

References