New-genus-2021
Guides
Novochares
water scavenger beetles
Novochares is a genus of water scavenger beetles (Hydrophilidae: Acidocerinae) erected in 2021 to accommodate New World species previously placed in Helochares. The genus contains 52 described species distributed across the entire Neotropical region from Mexico to Argentina, including Caribbean islands. Species circumscription relies heavily on male aedeagus morphology due to relatively homogeneous external characteristics. An integrative taxonomic approach combining adult morphology with COI and 28S DNA sequence data was used to delimit species boundaries.