Cooloola (insect)

Cooloola is a genus of ensiferan orthopterans known as Cooloola monsters.<ref name=osf1131773>Template:OSF</ref> It is the only genus in the subfamily Cooloolinae and family Cooloolidae of the superfamily Stenopelmatoidea.

Four species are known from this family, all endemic to Queensland, Australia. The name originated from the discovery of the best-known member of the family, the Cooloola monster (Cooloola propator), in the Cooloola National Park.

Little is known about their life histories as they lead an almost entirely subterranean existence, but they are believed to prey on other soil-dwelling invertebrates. Cooloola monsters are unusual in comparison with other members of the primitive superfamily Stenopelmatoidea in that the Template:Not a typo' antennae are considerably shorter than their body lengths.

Classification

While often treated as a family, molecular evidence suggests that Template:Not a typo are in fact aberrant members of the family Anostostomatidae, and the genus Cooloola might not be monophyletic.<ref name="VandergastEtAl">Vandergast, A.G., Weissman, D.B., Wood, D.A., Rentz, D.C., Bazelet, C.S., and Ueshima, N. (2017) Tackling an intractable problem: Can greater taxon sampling help resolve relationships within the Stenopelmatoidea (Orthoptera: Ensifera)? Zootaxa 4291, no. 1, p. 1. DOI:10.11646/zootaxa.4291.1.1</ref>

Species include:<ref name=osf>Template:OSF</ref>

• Cooloola dingo Rentz, 1986 – dingo monster
• Cooloola pearsoni Rentz, 1999 – Pearson's monster
• Cooloola propator Rentz, 1980 – Cooloola monster
• Cooloola ziljan Rentz, 1986 – sugarcane monster

References

• Grasshopper Country: The Abundant Orthopteroid Insects of Australia, by David C. Rentz. 1995. Template:ISBN

External links

• Species synopses by the Australian Department of the Environment and Heritage