Celatoblatta Explained

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.

The genus was significantly revised by Peter Johns in 1966, and Karlis Princis later added several species from Australia, New Guinea, and New Caledonia.[3] [4] Phylogenetic studies, however, suggested the resulting genus was not monophyletic,[5] [6] although the 14 New Zealand members of Celatoblatta as defined by Johns do seem to form a monophyletic group.[7] [8] [9]

The New Zealand Celatoblatta are all flightless with short or very short tegmina. 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.[10] Most New Zealand Celatoblatta species live in native forest, but four prefer high elevations above the tree line. Australian species are mostly restricted to Queensland, and are generally shiny black with small tegmina and wings. New Zealand species are generally brown with lighter patches on the thorax, although colour is often variable within a species.

The Otago alpine cockroach Celatoblatta quinquemaculata has been the subject of many studies due to its ability to survive freezing down to -9 °C[11] [12] 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.[13] [14]

Celatoblatta currently contains the following species:[15]

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.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Rentz . David C. . A guide to the cockroaches of Australia . CSIRO Publishing . 2014 . 9780643103207 . Collingwood, Victoria . 118–119.
  2. Zervos . S. . 1984 . Seasonality in a field population of two New Zealand cockroaches (Blattodea) . New Zealand Journal of Zoology . en . 11 . 3 . 307–312 . 10.1080/03014223.1984.10428242 . 0301-4223.
  3. Princis K (1970). Blattarien von den Inseln Rennell und Bellona. The Natural History of Rennell Island, British Solomon Islands 6: 31–37.
  4. Princis K (1971) Blattariae: Subordo Epilamproidea. Fam.: Ectobiidae. In: Beier M (Ed.) Orthopterorum Catalogus, Pars 14. W. Junk, 's-Gravenhage, 1041–1224.
  5. Malem . Julien . Robillard . Tony . Cluzel . Dominique . Bellier . Loïc . Nattier . Romain . Grandcolas . Philippe . Legendre . Frédéric . 2023 . Origins of old lineages in New Caledonia: A geologically informed test of the island-hopping hypothesis . Journal of Biogeography . en . 50 . 9 . 1587–1601 . 10.1111/jbi.14673 . 2023JBiog..50.1587M . 0305-0270.
  6. Djernæs . Marie . Murienne . Jérôme . 2022 . Phylogeny of Blattoidea (Dictyoptera: Blattodea) with a revised classification of Blattidae . Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny . 80 . 209–228 . 10.3897/asp.80.e75819 . free . 1864-8312.
  7. Morgan-Richards . Mary . Marshall . Craig J. . Biggs . Patrick J. . Trewick . Steven A. . 2023 . Insect Freeze-Tolerance Downunder: The Microbial Connection . Insects . en . 14 . 1 . 89 . 10.3390/insects14010089 . free . 36662017 . 9860888 . 2075-4450.
  8. Goldberg . Julia . Trewick . Steven A. . 2011 . Exploring Phylogeographic Congruence in a Continental Island System . Insects . en . 2 . 3 . 369–399 . 10.3390/insects2030369 . free . 2075-4450.
  9. Chinn . Warren G. . Gemmell . Neil J. . 2004 . Adaptive radiation within New Zealand endemic species of the cockroach genus Celatoblatta Johns (Blattidae): a response to Plio-Pleistocene mountain building and climate change . Molecular Ecology . en . 13 . 6 . 1507–1518 . 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2004.02160.x . 15140094 . 0962-1083.
  10. Zervos . S. . 1987 . Notes on the size distribution of a New Zealand cockroach, Celatoblatta vulgaris . New Zealand Journal of Zoology . en . 14 . 2 . 295–297 . 10.1080/03014223.1987.10422998 . 0301-4223.
  11. Block . William . Wharton . David A. . Sinclair . Brent J. . 1998 . Cold tolerance of a New Zealand alpine cockroach, Celatoblatta quinquemaculata (Dictyoptera, Blattidae) . Physiological Entomology . en . 23 . 1 . 1–6 . 10.1046/j.1365-3032.1998.2310001.x . 0307-6962.
  12. Sinclair . Brent J. . 2001 . Field ecology of freeze tolerance: interannual variation in cooling rates, freeze-thaw and thermal stress in the microhabitat of the alpine cockroach Celatoblatta quinquemaculata . Oikos . en . 93 . 2 . 286–293 . 10.1034/j.1600-0706.2001.930211.x . 0030-1299.
  13. Worland . M. R. . Wharton . D. A. . Byars . S. G. . 2004-02-01 . Intracellular freezing and survival in the freeze tolerant alpine cockroach Celatoblatta quinquemaculata . Journal of Insect Physiology . 50 . 2 . 225–232 . 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2003.12.001 . 15019525 . 0022-1910.
  14. Sinclair . Brent J. . Renault . David . 2010 . Intracellular ice formation in insects: Unresolved after 50years? . Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology . en . 155 . 1 . 14–18 . 10.1016/j.cbpa.2009.10.026. 19878734 .
  15. Web site: Beccaloni . G. W. . Genus Celatoblatta Johns, 1966 . 4 April 2024 . Cockroach Species File.

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