Dr Shasta Henry1, Dr Steophen Cameron1, Adam Smolenski1, Dr Peter McQuillan1

1University Of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia

Biography:

Shasta is a passionate scientist and science communicator. She is committed to both the frontier of entomological science & to bringing that knowledge to the broader community by developing significant learning projects & inspiring presentations. She completed her PhD in invertebrate ecology at the University of Tasmania. That research focused on the impact of fire on insect communities, wilderness research techniques, and taxonomy. Shasta also has 10 years of experience as a science communicator in entomology, ecology & general science literacy.

Abstract:

We describe the endemic Tasmanian cockroach, Polyzosteria yingina sp. nov. (Henry), 78 years after it was first documented. Evidence from morphology, biogeography and CO1 barcodes is used to distinguish this species from related mainland Australian taxa it has previously been confused with. Polyzosteria yingina sp. nov. has two strongly allopatric populations: a compact alpine population above 1000m and a dispersed east coastal one at sealevel. However, mitochondrial Control Region D-loop molecular analysis suggests a single species identity for these disparate populations. Detailed internal and external morphological descriptions and photographs of living and preserved type material are presented. We also speculate on some hypotheses which could account for the unusual distribution of this charismatic insect.