| Peltochares | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Dorsal view of Peltochares conspicuus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Staphyliniformia |
| Family: | Hydrophilidae |
| Subfamily: | Acidocerinae |
| Genus: | Peltochares Hansen, 1991 |
| Diversity | |
| 8 species | |
Peltochares is a genus of water scavenger beetles in the family Hydrophilidae represented by eight described species. [1] It is distributed across the Afrotropical, Australasian, Indo-Malayan, and Palaearctic realms. [1]
The genus Peltochares was described for the first time by Maurice Auguste Régimbart in 1907 [2] for a single, large, and morphologically unusual species from Gabon (Peltochares conspicuus). [3]
Thanks to the result of a molecular-based phylogenetic analysis, [4] along with dissections of the male genitalia, several species formerly placed in the genus Helochares were confirmed to belong in the same genus as that large and morphologically unusual species. [1]
Medium-sized to relatively large beetles (6–14 mm), weakly to moderately convex in lateral view, dark brown in coloration. A diagnosis of the genus as currently circumscribed was presented by Girón and Short. [1]