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.

[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.