New records for the Helius Lepeletier & Serville fauna (Diptera, Limoniidae) of China

The genus Lepeletier & Serville, 1828 is globally distributed with 232 species and subspecies, of which 25 have been known to occur in China. Amongst the Chinese crane flies, 24 species are distributed in southern China. The species diversity of in other Chinese regions may be severely underestimated due to a lack of investigation. Some investigations on crane flies in Inner Mongolia, China have been initiated by the authors together with other entomologists, with being one of the key targets of attention. Two species, H. (Helius) flavus (Walker, 1856) and H. (H.) gracillimus Alexander, 1938, are added to the Chinese fauna. The two newly-recorded species also represent the first records of the crane fly tribe Elephantomyiini in Inner Mongolia. Re-descriptions and illustrations of the two newly-recorded species are presented.