Review of the Berosus Leach of Venezuela (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae, Berosini) with description of fourteen new species

The water scavenger beetle genus Berosus Leach is the largest of more than 170 genera in the superfamily Hydrophiloidea. Although it is better known that some aquatic beetle groups, many new species in the genus remain to be discovered. This work treats the Berosus of Venezuela?a country that lies at interchange of several major Neotropical regions, including the Andes, the Amazon, the Guiana Shield, and the West Indies. Previously, only nine species of the genus were known from Venezuela, while this work records 36, including fourteen new species. Among these new species are several that are only found in water-filled holes and seepages on ancient granite outcrops in the Guiana Shield region in Amazonas and Bol?var States. Venezuela?s central Llanos, or savannah region, is particularly rich in species. Several species that were previously known only from Brazil have their ranges extended far northward. It is likely additional fieldwork will yield yet even more discoveries.