Polyzosteriinae

Platyzosteria secunda, copyright CSIRO.

Belongs within: Blattaria.

The Polyzosteriinae are a group of commonly flightless cockroaches, many of which produce foul-smelling defensive chemicals. Diurnal species are often stikingly coloured whereas nocturnal species are more usually black or brownish (Rentz 1996).

Characters (from Rentz 1996): Tarsi usually short, unspined (hind and sometimes mid metatarsi spined), occasionally second hind tarsal segment spined, third hind tarsal segment bare; pulvilli and arolia large; claws usually asymmetrical; cerci often short with indistinct segmentation; male styles simple, symmetrical; left lateral phallomere with extensible hook, right phallomere heavily sclerotised; smooth, lobiform ventral phallomere present; female subgenital plate bivalvular.

<==Polyzosteriinae R96
    |--Methanini R96
    |    |--Scabina R96
    |    |--Temnelytra truncata R96
    |    |--Methana R96
    |    |    |--M. curvigera R96
    |    |    `--M. marginalis R96
    |    `--Drymaplaneta R96
    |         |--D. communis R96
    |         `--D. variegata WPT01
    `--Polyzosteriini R96
         |--Desmozosteria cincta R96
         |--Pseudolampra R96
         |--Eppertia R96
         |--Zonioploca medilinea R96, M74
         |--Megazosteria R96
         |--Euzosteria R96
         |--Anamesia R96
         |    |--A. polyzona C91
         |    `--A. uniformis MC13
         |--Cosmozosteria R96
         |    |--C. gloriosa R96
         |    |--C. sloanei R96
         |    |--C. subzonata R96
         |    `--C. zonata R96
         |--Polyzosteria R96
         |    |--P. limbata R96
         |    |--P. metallica R96
         |    |--P. mitchelli R96
         |    |--P. pubescens M74
         |    `--P. viridissima R96
         `--Platyzosteria R96
              |  i. s.: P. melanaria R91
              |         P. sublobata (Princis 1954) T13
              |         P. tibialis MC13
              |         P. tricaudata MC13
              `--P. (Melanozosteria) R96
                   |--P. (M.) castanea K91
                   |--P. (M.) circumducta R96
                   |--P. (M.) nitidella R96
                   `--P. (M.) secunda R96

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[C91] CSIRO. 1991. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers 2^nd ed. vol. 1. Melbourne University Press: Carlton (Victoria).

[K91] Kathirithamby, J. 1991. Strepsiptera. In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers 2^nd ed. vol. 2 pp. 684–695. Melbourne University Press: Carlton (Victoria).

[M74] Mackerras, M. J. 1974. Blattodea (cockroaches). In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers. Supplement 1974 pp. 37.Melbourne University Press.

[MC13] Majer, J. D., S. K. Callan, K. Edwards, N. R. Gunawardene & C. K. Taylor. 2013. Baseline survey of the terrestrial invertebrate fauna of Barrow Island. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 83: 13–112.

[R96] Rentz, D. 1996. Grasshopper Country: The abundant orthopteroid insects of Australia. University of New South Wales Press: Sydney.

[R91] Roth, L. M. 1991. Blatttodea. Blattaria (cockroaches). In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers 2^nd ed. vol. 1 pp. 320–329. Melbourne University Press: Carlton (Victoria).

[T13] Taylor, C. K. 2013. Annotated bibliography for Barrow Island terrestrial invertebrates. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 83: 135–144.

[WPT01] Wharton, D. A., R. Poulin & C. L. Tyrell. 2001. Parasites of anostostomatid insects. In: Field, L. H. (ed.) The Biology of Wetas, King Crickets and Their Allies pp. 259–267. CABI Publishing: Wallingford (UK).

Last updated: 21 May 2022.