Celatoblatta is a genus of cockroaches in the family Blattidae with species from Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia.[1] "Celato" means concealed and the members of this genus are all small, fast-moving nocturnal species that hide during the day under bark and rocks.[2] In Australia the genus is known as hooded cockroaches, after the distinctive way the seventh abdominal tergite extends over the ninth and tenth like a hood.[1]
The genus was created by Peter Johns in 1966,[3] and Karlis Princis later added several species from Australia, New Guinea, and New Caledonia.[4][5]Phylogenetic studies, however, suggested the resulting genus is not monophyletic,[6][7] although the 14 New Zealand members of Celatoblatta as defined by Johns do seem to form a monophyletic group.[8][9][10]
The New Zealand Celatoblatta are all flightless with short or very short tegmina.[3] They have 7 or 8 instars, with overlapping generations and eggs laid all year. Eggs are laid in brown capsules called oothecae which protect the 10–14 developing nymphs.[2][11] Most New Zealand Celatoblatta species live in native forest, but four prefer high elevations above the tree line.[8][3] Australian species are mostly restricted to Queensland, and are generally shiny black with small tegmina and wings.[1] New Zealand species are generally brown with lighter patches on the thorax, although colour is often variable within a species.[3]
The Otago alpine cockroach Celatoblatta quinquemaculata has been the subject of many studies due to its ability to survive freezing down to -9 °C[12][13] and it is one of the few species where intercellular freezing is thought to allow ice crystals to reach beyond the gut to the haemolymph.[14][15]
Celatoblatta currently contains the following species:[7][16][17]
In a 2022 revision of the group Celatoblatta was moved to the subfamily Polyzosteriinae; Celatoblatta shelfordi (Shaw, 1925), C. quadriloba (Mackerras, 1968) and C. baldwinspenceri (Mackerras, 1968) were assigned to the genus Austrostylopyga, which was resurrected after being previously synonymised with Celatoblatta; and C. marksae (Mackerras, 1968) was moved back to Temnelytra.[7] The New Caledonian species are more closely related to Polyzostera than to New Zealand Celatoblatta species.[6]
References
^ abcRentz, David C. (2014). A guide to the cockroaches of Australia. Collingwood, Victoria: CSIRO Publishing. pp. 118–119. ISBN9780643103207.
^Princis K (1970). Blattarien von den Inseln Rennell und Bellona. The Natural History of Rennell Island, British Solomon Islands 6: 31–37.
^Princis K (1971) Blattariae: Subordo Epilamproidea. Fam.: Ectobiidae. In: Beier M (Ed.) Orthopterorum Catalogus, Pars 14. W. Junk, 's-Gravenhage, 1041–1224.
