Balta Tepper, 1893

Balta Tepper, 1893 View in CoL

Type species: Balta epilamproides Tepper 1893: 40 View in CoL .

Allactina Hebard, 1929: 18 View in CoL , Type species: Allactina jacobsoni Hebard. View in CoL

Eoblatta Shelford, 1911 , Type species: Blatta notulata Stål by original designation.

Graptoblatta Hebard 1929 View in CoL . Type species: Blatta notulata Stål by original designation.(unnecesssary replacement, see Beccaloni 2024).

Hebardula Uvarov, 1939 View in CoL . Type species: Allactina jacobsoni Hebard. Name View in CoL not used. (see Beccaloni, 2024)

Mareta Bolívar 1895 , Type species: Mareta conspicienda Bolívar (= Balta innotabilis ). (name not published and represents a misidentification, see Beccaloni, 2024).

Balta View in CoL is a large genus with 86 described, nocturnal species, at least 40 of which are found in Australia (see Roth, 1991: 967 and Hebard 1943: 37). Recent collecting indicates double that number for Australia. The non-Australian Balta View in CoL species occur in the Pacific Islands, Asia and Africa (see Princis, 1969).

Balta View in CoL cockroaches have a distinctive appearance (see Rentz, 2014: 257-272). Often more than one species can be found at a given locality. All are known to be nocturnal. Groups of species have an overall similar appearance. Whether these can be considered as distinctive genera remains for future extensive revisions. For the present, we can see at least one distinctive group of Australian species. We propose a “species group”, the Godeffroyi Group based on the oldest species in the group, B. godeffroyi (Shelford, 1911) View in CoL . We include in that group two other Australian species B. fratercula Hebard View in CoL and one we herein describe.

Generic diagnosis. Head seemingly without ocelli, however, the light patches at the base of the antennae may be lateral ocelli and the vague darkening of the central portion of the frons may be the vestiges of a median ocellus; interocular space wider than inter-antennal space; both sexes fully winged, although some females may not be capable of flight. Ventro-anterior margins of fore femur with an elongate row of piliform spines; median and caudal femora armed with spines. Males with dorsal surface of abdomen unspecialised; supra-anal plate broadly convex and not specialised; subgenital plate deeply cleft, often at an angle, lateral portions asymmetrical, apex bearing 4 distinctive styles, lateral margins often twisted or otherwise modified. Female subgenital plate simple.