Helotidae


Helotidae is a family of beetles, in the suborder Polyphaga. The family includes about five extant genera, Helota MacLeay, Neohelota Ohta, Afrohelotina Kirejtshuk, Metahelotella Kirejtshuk, and Strophohelota Kirejtshuk. Helotidae are found mainly in the Old World tropics and are absent from Australia and Madagascar. The antennae are clubbed on the final three segments and is retractable within grooves under the head. The wings have reduced venation with just 4 anal veins.
A few fossil species have been described including Palaeohelota parva from the Lower Cretaceous of the Yixian Formation in China, Burmahelota pengweii and Metahelotella monochromata from the Upper Cretaceous of Northern Myanmar. Another fossil genus Laodiscis placed in this family originally is now considered of uncertain taxonomic position.

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