Johnrehnia Princis, 1954

Johnrehnia Princis View in CoL

Johnrehnia Princis, 1954: 42 . Type species: Johnrehnia hodgkini Princis by monotypy.

We take this opportunity to name an undescribed species of Johnrehnia that is common on the Atherton Tablelands, Qld. It is often attracted to lights and because of its size and overall appearance ( Fig. 4A View FIG ) is often mistaken for the German Cockroach, Blattella germanica (Linnaeus) by concerned residents. It is a native species that lives in leaf litter during the day and could not survive for long in a domestic situation due to the low humidity and lack of suitable food.

Johnrehnia appears to us to be a conglomerate of several genera. At the time of his revision, Roth (2000) did not have the amount of material that we have accumulated over a broad geographic range of Johnrehnia . This is the result of intensive collecting in far north Queensland for more than 20 years. Roth was unaware of groups of species that probably actually represent distinct genera. Only a future major revision can bring clarity to this situation. We continue to collect small cockroaches which are exceedingly abundant in almost all habitats in the north Queensland tropics.

Generic diagnosis. Male/female. Tegmina almost reaching end of abdomen; fully capable of flight, however, some Johnrehnia species are brachypterous. Frons with distinctive markings. Pronotum with markings that are highly distinctive. Tegmina with longitudinal or sublongitudinal discoidal sectors. Male. All male abdominal tergites lacking glandular specialisation. Supra-anal plate symmetrical, hind margin with or without a pair of processes. Paraprocts dissimilar; intercercal processes present or absent. Subgenital plate symmetrical or asymmetrical rarely with a pair of similar but most species with dissimilar styles. Genitalia with hook on left side and with or without a preapical incision; median phallomere a simple apically acute, spine-like rod; right phallomere usually with a distinct cleft-like sclerite and with or without a spined sclerite. Female subgenital plate unmodified.