Celatoblatta
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| Celatoblatta | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Celatoblatta undulivitta | |
Scientific classification  | |
| 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][17]
- Celatoblatta anisoptera Johns, 1966 – New Zealand
- Celatoblatta brunni Johns, 1966 – Chatham Islands
- Celatoblatta fuscipes Johns, 1966 – New Zealand
- Celatoblatta hesperia Johns, 1966 – New Zealand
- Celatoblatta immunda (Shelford, 1911) – Queensland
- Celatoblatta kauri Morgan-Richards & Trewick, 2025
- Celatoblatta laevispinata Johns, 1966 – New Zealand
- Celatoblatta montana Johns, 1966 – New Zealand
- Celatoblatta nigrifrons (Chopard, 1924) – New Caledonia
- Celatoblatta notialis Johns, 1966 – New Zealand
- Celatoblatta pallidicauda Johns, 1966 – New Zealand
- Celatoblatta papuae (Shaw, 1925) – New Guinea, Solomon Islands
- Celatoblatta peninsularis Johns, 1966 – New Zealand
- Celatoblatta perpolita (Mackerras, 1968) – Queensland
- Celatoblatta punctipennis (Chopard, 1924) – New Caledonia
- Celatoblatta quinquemaculata Johns, 1966 – New Zealand
- Celatoblatta sedilloti (Bolívar, 1883) – New Zealand
- Celatoblatta shawi (Princis, 1966) – Queensland
- Celatoblatta subcorticaria Johns, 1966 – New Zealand
- Celatoblatta tryoni (Shaw, 1925) – Queensland
- Celatoblatta undulivitta (Walker, 1868) – New Zealand
- Celatoblatta vulgaris Johns, 1966 – New Zealand
- Celatoblatta zonata (Princis, 1954) – Australia
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]
