Celatoblatta | |
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Celatoblatta undulivitta | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Blattodea |
Family: | Blattidae |
Subfamily: | Polyzosteriinae |
Genus: | Celatoblatta Johns, 1966 |
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]
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]