What's In A Name?

Most people who deal with scientific names (Latin or Latinised words) have some knowledge of what they mean. Generic names can be meaningful or fanciful. It is all in the hands of the describer. As long as the name has not been used before (is pre-occupied) and is not derisive or needlessly obscene, most editors will accept an author’s choice.

Not all authors provide readers with the derivation of their names.
Francis Walker named hundreds of genera and species in many groups of insects. In fact he was paid on the basis of the number of species he named. But that’s a different story. He seldom provided any information on the basis for his generic names. Examples are Dexerra Walker 1869 and Requena Walker 1869 of his genera that were named without a hint of what, if anything, they meant. Both are Australian katydids. Later Ander in 1938 described another katydid and called it Xederra without explanation. I assume it is an anagram of Dexerra. The two are only distantly related.

I preparing the cockroach guidebook for CSIRO publications, I was met by a number of unusual generic names. I know what they meant but would be certain that most readers would not have a clue. Examples are Hensaussurea, Beybienkoa, Carbrunneria, Johnrehnia and Eowilsonia. You can get a hint from the last two. They are all generic names composed by combining the first and last names of the persons to be so honoured. [And yes, it would be an honour to have a cockroach genus named for you!]

Here are some notes on the origins of the above names. This may add some interest to discovering the richness of the Australian fauna.

Karl Princis, the Swedish entomologist, was the first of the modern taxonomists to combine Christian and surnames into one latinised word. Louis Roth, the most recent perpetrator, continued the trend with a few of his own.

Hensaussurea Princis 1954 (contains 11 Australian species)

Hensaussurea sheardi Roth                                      D. Knowles photo

Named for Henri Louis Frederic de Saussure a distinguished Swiss entomologist who was skilled in unrelated fields such as geography and mineralogy. He founded the Geographical Society of Geneva but spent most of his time at the Natural History Museum of Geneva.

Henri Louis Frederic de Saussure

Carbrunneria Princis (13 Australian species)

Carbunneria marci Roth

Named in honour of Karl Friedrich Brunner von Wattenwyl (1823-1914) was a Swiss entomologist. He was director of the telegraph office in Vienna but was mostly interested in entomology. He published many important works in the field of orthopterology. He was also Professor of Physics at University of Bern, 1850-55.

Karl Friedrich Brunner von Wattenwyl

Johnrehnia Roth (36 Australian species)

Johnrehnia concisa (Walker)

Named in honour of John William Holman Rehn was the son of James A. G. Rehn, Curator of Orthoptera at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. He took up an interest in Entomology and published several papers on the higher classification of the cockroaches that were based on their wing venation. He spent his career in the US Army.

 John W. H. Rehn

Beybienkoa Roth (23 Australian and New Guinea species)

Beibienkoa kurandanensis Roth

Named in honour of Grigory Yakoveivich Bey-Bienko (1903-1971) a Russian entomologist of considerable note. He studied many groups of orthopteroid insects and had several genera and many species named in his honour. Prof Bey-Bienko was the Stalin Prize winner in 1952 in honour of his international recognition as an entomologist.

Grigory Yakoveivich Bey-Bienko

Eowilsonia Roth (3 Australian species)

Eowilsonia biglandulifera Roth 

Named for Edward O. Wilson (1929-) the noted biologist, conservationist and entomologist specialising in the study of ants. He is known and the “Father of Sociobiology” for his books depicting the biology and behaviour of ants. He is Professor Emeritus at Harvard University where Louis Roth, the author of the genus, worked for many years in retirement. 

Prof. Edward O. Wilson from the web

Francis Walker (1809-1864)

Paratemnopteryx centralensis (Roth)

The much maligned Francis Walker. The cockroach genus Franwalkeria Princis is named in his honour. Ironically, it is now a synonym of Paratemnopteryx!

Night Wanderings

It has been an unusually dry wet season in the far north of Queensland. To the south it is a different story with record rains and floods in south Queensland and northern New South Wales. The February rainfall averages from 100-600 mm in Kuranda. This year we received 114 mm.

The insects have been patch at best but here are a few examples from recent forays into the local bush.

The Tinaroo Road near Mareeba offers a number of different habitats ranging from wet eucalypt-acacia woodland to rather dry, sparsely vegetated mixed woodland. Along the creeks, there is gallery forest and natural grassland---where it has not been devastated by grazing and burning.

 Antlions are frequent visitors to the lights, especially in mixed woodlands.

 This caterpillar was found on the tip of a Causarina needle

 This Brown Tree Snake, Boiga irregularis, stopped by. It positioned itself on a shrub near the light-sheet and remained there for about 10 minutes after sizing up the situation and deciding there was not much use in hanging around. It is a rear-fanged colubrid snake that feeds on birds, lizards, bats and small mammals. A large example is 2 m but most snakes are much smaller than that.

 The Brown Tree Snake is often called the Night Tiger because of its striped pattern. It is responsible for devastating the bird population of Guam due to its inadvertent introduction there.

 The Snake Mantid, Kongobatha diademata Hebard, waiting to ambush passing prey.

A March Fly. This year they are actually active in March. Females bite ferociously but males like this one lack the mouthparts to provide a blood meal. They feed on nectar and often come to lights suggesting they are nocturnal. Females bite during the day and almost never are seen around lights. Males have large eyes that meet on the top of the head. We have dealt wit this aspect of their life history before.

A pair of mating long-horned beetles. This species seems to be associated with grasses.

 Late afternoon is a good time to photograph diurnal grasshoppers as the ambient temperature winds down and they decrease their activity. This a male of what appears to be Cedarinia costata Sjøstedt. The dorsal stripe is generally atypical of this species.

 Cedarinia costata Sjøstedt, female.

 Caledia captiva (Walker): Acrididae; Acridinae; Acridini is a grassland species commonly found along forest margins or at the edges of walking tracks. The white band near the tip of the hind femur is distinctive of this grasshopper. It is distributed along the east coast of Australia and into the tropics and in the coastal areas of the Top End, that is northern Northern Territory and northern Western Australia. It's genetics have been studied in the past by Dr Dave Shaw and his colleagues at the Australian National University.

The Black-faced Theomolpus, Theomolpus pulcher (Sjøstedt); Acrididae; Catantopinae; Macrotonina is aptly named. It has a rather limited distribution in the tropics south of the Daintree Region. There is one other species in the genus known from Cooktown.

Adult male Black-faced Theomolpus, Theomolpus pulcher (Sjøstedt); Acrididae; Catantopinae; Macrotonina.

 A matchstick grasshopper, Morabidae; Morabinae (formerly family Eumastacidae) at night on Casuarina needle. These grasshoppers appear to be nocturnal.

 Grass-straddler, Rhachidorus longipennis Rentz: Tettigoniidae; Tettigoniinae;  Nedubini uses its long legs to position and steady itself in tall grasses where it feeds on pollen and seeds at night. The tarsi of the hind legs are elongated to help it grasp the stems. This genus, and several others in Australia, is distantly related to those in both southern Africa and the Pacific northwest of North America.

 Caedicia sp.: Tettigoniidae; Phaneropterinae probably pictipes Stål abroad after dark.

  Caedicia sp.: Tettigoniidae; Phaneropterinae probably pictipes Stål, a last instar nymph with banded hind tibiae.

Male Johnrehnia sp.: Ectobiidae; Blattellinae feeding on eucalypt trunk. Females of this species are black. This was one of three Johnrehnia species found a this site. Nothing is known of their activities. Some species of the genus are commonly found in leaf litter but the activity patterns, ecological requirements and and feeding habits of most blattellines are largely unstudied in Australia.

Night Tigers

Growing up in northern California and collecting beetles as a boy I always took the challenge to chase the fast-moving and visually acute Tiger Beetles (family Carabidae, subfamily Cicindelinae). But it always seemed that the species was the same, Cicindela oregonensis, whether we were collecting along the coast or along mountain streams in the Sierra. Rarely, one could find a real treasure, the large black Tiger Beetle, Omus. These beetles live in a different habitat--under bark, and prophetically, under the bark of downed eucalyptus trees where you usually encountered very little-- Sow Bugs (crustaceans) or certain tenebrionids. But I digress.

In Australia we see Tiger Beetles at the light sheet every night during the summer season and they can be spotted during the day where they actively pursue small insect prey. I have noted this before in this blog.  I often see these beetles on tree trunks in the rainforest facing head downwards awaiting unsuspecting insect meals during the day. Recently at a site in a mixed eucalypt-acacia forest along the Clohesy River we found two species of the genus Dystipsidera. When spotted during the day on tree trunks, these beetles are alert and very difficult to approach. With their propensity to be attracted to lights,  I had thought that they might be nocturnal. They are known for their extraordinary eyesight and could potentially see on bright, moonlit nights.

Two species were spotted sitting on leaves or grasses and they seemed to be active. But they were within 15m of the light sheet and that could have prompted their movements.

 Dystipsidera flavipes is the larger of the two species and lacks the brown markings of its relative.

Dystipsidera sericea is the smaller of the two and seems to be less common.

Cicindela sp probably semicincta, is a widespread, Cosmopolitan genus of Tiger Beetle. Here is devours an ant that has come to light. The larva of these beetles construct vertical subterranean burrows and protrude their heads with the massive jaws that seize any unsuspecting passing insect. As note, members of this genus seem to be found not far from waterways.

Always something of interest in this great country.

It's Been A Good Year--For Some Things

Monteith's Leaf Insect, Phyllium monteithi Brock and Hasenpusch

I have reported on this insect several times in this blog. It is the only known Australian representative of the widespread genus. Usually I see a couple of males at the light sheet but this year four have appeared. It has been an oddly dry wet season this year. The female of the species is extremely elusive. Only one has been found in nature. Reasons for their rarity seem simple. They rarely, if ever, fly and they are truly arboreal. When the males show up at the lights, they tend to move upwards towards the canopy. I suspect that's where the girls are too.

 The flanged legs add to the leaf allusion.

 The three spots on the top of the head are "ocelli", false eyes, the function of which is rather speculative.

A peculiarity of this species is the "fuzzy" antennae.

Have A Green New Year

Phyllophorella queenslandica Rentz, Su, Ueshima: Tettigoniidae; Phyllophorellinae

Queensland Small Hooded Katydid

It's been a bit dry around here in recent weeks. Many of the small rainforest seedlings have succumbed and some of the larger trees are in a wilted state.

But we had a shower of some 6 mm of rain and this has certainly spruced (is this the word in a tropical rainforest!) things up a bit.

A recent trip to the Daintree region, which was also dry, revealed some nice green katydids.

The head above and the two below are the Queensland Small hooded Katydid, reported before in this blog. The unique stridulatory mechanism of the members of the this subfamily is documented in the blog and in the published paper below.

 Phyllophorella queenslandica Rentz, Su, Ueshima

Phyllophorella queenslandica Rentz, Su, Ueshima, male

 Acauloplacella hasenpuschae Rentz, Su, Ueshima, male: Tettigoniidae; Pseudphyllinae; Phyllomimini

Sue's Leaf-mimicking Katydid

Note the resting position with the tegmina and wings slightly spread concealing the soft bits. The katydid ids nocturnal and spends the day either on top, but more usually under, leaves. It is ever alert and at the slightest disturbance, the claws are embedded in the leaf and the tegmina and wings are contracted as below. This provides the katydid with a good grip and helps to prevent it from being "swiped" off the leaf by a passing bird or bat.

  Acauloplacella hasenpuschae Rentz, Su, Ueshima, male: Tettigoniidae; Pseudphyllinae; Phyllomimini

  Acauloplacella hasenpuschae Rentz, Su, Ueshima, female: Tettigoniidae; Pseudphyllinae; Phyllomimini

 Acauloplacella hasenpuschae Rentz, Su, Ueshima, female: Tettigoniidae; Pseudphyllinae; Phyllomimini

 Ducetia japonica (Thunberg): Tettigoniidae; Phaneropterinae

The Pacific Ducetia

This is a widespread species across tropical Australia. It is one of several katydids that can be found in disturbed habitats such as along rainforest margins or under powerlines that are routinely cleared and there is an abundance of new growth and grasses. It seems to be a preferred food of the predator, Hexacentrus mundurra Rentz.

 Mastigaphoides haffneri Weidner, female: Tettigoniidae; Pseudophyllinae; Simoderini

A common katydid of the rainforest understorey. It may also be in the canopy but no one has looked yet.

 Mastigaphoides haffneri Weidner, female last instar: Tettigoniidae; Pseudophyllinae; Simoderini

This species could easily be called a "Dinosaur Katydid"!

 Kurandoptera purpura Rentz, Su and Ueshima, male: Tettigoniidae; Phaneropterinae

You have seen this katydid before in this blog. It was described from Kuranda as the generic name suggests but it has a broader range, extending from near Innisfail to the Daintree region, Queensland. This is the first known record of the species from the Daintree.

Wavy-tail Caedicia flexuosa Bolivar; Tettigoniidae; Phaneropterinae

If this species is correctly identified, it has a very unusual distribution for a katydid. It was described from New Guinea as indicated in the Orthoptera Species File. No other phaneropterine has a similar distribution. But the photos seem to match up. Like so many other katydids, further investigation is warranted.

 Caedicia webberi Rentz, Su Ueshima, male: Tettigoniidae; Phaneropterinae

Webber's Caedicia

 This easily-recognised katydid has a relatively broad geographic distribution for a katydid in the tropics from Tully to Iron Range, Queensland. The bluish green colour and the series of spots on the abdomen combined with the tiny yellow spots that protrude from under the pronotum on each side and yellow on the top of the eye are not possessed by any other katydid.

 Ephippitytha kuranda Rentz, Su, Ueshima, male: Tettigoniidae; Phaneropterinae

Previously known only from Kuranda, this is the first record of the genus and species from the Daintree, Queeensland.

 Phyllium monteithi Brock and Hasenpusch: Phasmatodea; Phylliidae; Phylliinae

NOT from the Daintree, but from Kuranda. Each year a specimen or two this species is found on low vegetation. But they are always males. Someday a female...........

                                                              Biroella sp., young female; Morabidae; Biroellinae

I reported on this genus last year. It is one of the icons of the northern rainforest that most people who study grasshoppers want to find. There are few in collections because it is thought that these grasshoppers spend most of their time in the canopy. [There is a good honours study awaiting someone who may want to spend time in James Cook University's Rainforest Crane located in the Daintree, not far from where this photo was taken.]

Literature
Rentz, DCF, Su, Y-N, Ueshima, N. 2008. Studies in Australian Tettigoniidae: New Phaneropterine Katydid from Queensland Rainforests (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae; Phaneropterinae). Zootaxa 1964: 1-39.

Rentz, DCF, Su, Y-N, Ueshima, N. 2009. Studies in Australian Tettigoniidae: The Phyllophorinae (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae; Phyllophorinae). Zootaxa 2075: 55-68.

Rentz, DCF, Su, Y-N, Ueshima, N. 2010. Studies in Australian Tettigoniidae: Australian Pseudophylline katydids (Tettigoniidae; Pseudophyllinae; Phyllomomini). Zootaxa 2566: 1-20.