Celatoblatta

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]

Celatoblatta
Celatoblatta undulivitta
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Blattodea
Family:	Blattidae
Subfamily:	Polyzosteriinae
Genus:	Celatoblatta Johns, 1966

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]

• 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 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]