Nocticola Bolívar, 1892

Trotter, Andrew J., Main, Dean C. & Finston, Terrie L., 2017, Speciation in fractured rock landforms: towards understanding the diversity of subterranean cockroaches (Dictyoptera: Nocticolidae: Nocticola) in Western Australia, Zootaxa 4250 (2), pp. 143-170 : 148

Genus Nocticola Bolívar, 1892

Nocticola Bolívar, 1892: 29 –32. Type species: Nocticola simoni . Nocticola Bolívar : Roth, 1988: 298 (diagnosis).

Taxonomic remarks. Uncertainty exists about the relationship of the Nocticolidae to sister groups, dating back at least to the works of Grandcolas (1996), where it was proposed that Nocticolidae be synonymised with Latindiinae . Little consensus has been observed through a number of studies since, but typically Nocticolidae had been placed as sister group to Corydiidae (synonym Polyphagidae ) (see Ware et al. 2008; Djernaes et al. 2012). The recent study by Djernaes et al. (2015) found that within Corydioidea (synonym Polyphagidea) it was uncertain whether or not Nocticolidae should remain ranked a family, or be placed as a subfamily, within Latindiidae or Corydiidae , or even subsumed in an expanded Latindiinae , as suggested by Grandcolas.

Based on the presence or absence of male tergal glands, species of Nocticola can be placed in to two groups: i) simoni -species group, male terga unspecialised; or ii) uenoi -species group, male fourth abdominal terga specialised (see Roth 1988). Of the three new species described here: N. quartermainei n. sp. and N. cockingi n. sp., belong to the simoni -species group and N. currani n. sp., belongs to the uenoi -species group.

Australian fauna. Four species of Nocticolidae have been described from mainland Australia: australiensis (QLD, cavernicolous), babindaensis (QLD, epigean) ( Roth 1988), flabella (WA, cavernicolous) ( Roth 1991), and brooksi (WA and NT, cavernicolous) ( Roth 1995). One species has been recorded from Christmas Island: Metanocticola christmasensis (cavernicolous) ( Roth 1999). Three undescribed Nocticola species have also been reported; two from Queensland ( Roth 1988) and one from WA ( Roth 1995).