In North America, Helophorus arcticus Brown inhabits the seashore and tidal embayments of the eastern Arctic and because of its distribution is considered to be a halophile. New evidence, including the substrate chemistry of the habitat and the associated fauna and flora at Kuujjuaq, northern Québec, suggests that the designation of H. arcticus as a halophile is incorrect. Fossils of H. arcticus occur in Pleistocene deposits in the mid-latitudes of North America and their distribution along the margin of the Laurentide Icesheet is easier to understand if the species is not a halophile.