''Cooloola'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

ensifera Ensifera is a suborder of insects that includes the various types of crickets and their allies including: true crickets, camel crickets, bush crickets or katydids, grigs, weta and Cooloola monsters. This and the suborder Caelifera (grasshop ...

orthoptera Orthoptera () is an order of insects that comprises the grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets, including closely related insects, such as the bush crickets or katydids and wētā. The order is subdivided into two suborders: Caelifera – grass ...

ns known as Cooloola monsters. It is the only genus in the subfamily Cooloolinae and family Cooloolidae of the

superfamily SUPERFAMILY is a database and search platform of structural and functional annotation for all proteins and genomes. It classifies amino acid sequences into known structural domains, especially into SCOP superfamilies. Domains are functional, str ...

Stenopelmatoidea Stenopelmatoidea is a superfamily of insects in the order Orthoptera; in some older classifications this group was referred to as Gryllacridoidea. Classification The classification and constituency of Stenopelmatoidea is an ongoing source of co ...

. Four species are known from this family, all

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, 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 cooloolids' antennae are considerably shorter than their body lengths.

Classification

While often treated as a family, molecular evidence suggests that cooloolids are in fact aberrant members of the family

Anostostomatidae Anostostomatidae is a family of insects in the order Orthoptera, widely distributed in the southern hemisphere. It is named Mimnermidae or Henicidae in some taxonomies, and common names include ''king crickets'' in South Africa and ''wētā'' in ...

, and the genus ''Cooloola'' may not be monophyletic.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 Species include: *''

Cooloola dingo Cooloola may refer to: ;Animals * ''Cooloola'' (insect), a genus of the insect family Cooloolidae ** Cooloola monster (''Cooloola propator''), a species of the genus * Cooloola sedge frog (''Litoria cooloolensis'') ;Places * Cooloola Great Walk, ...

'' Rentz, 1986 – dingo monster *''

Cooloola pearsoni Cooloola may refer to: ;Animals * ''Cooloola'' (insect), a genus of the insect family Cooloolidae ** Cooloola monster (''Cooloola propator''), a species of the genus * Cooloola sedge frog (''Litoria cooloolensis'') ;Places * Cooloola Great Walk, ...

'' Rentz, 1999 – Pearson's monster *'' Cooloola propator'' Rentz, 1980 – Cooloola monster *''

Cooloola ziljan Cooloola may refer to: ;Animals * ''Cooloola'' (insect), a genus of the insect family Cooloolidae ** Cooloola monster (''Cooloola propator''), a species of the genus * Cooloola sedge frog (''Litoria cooloolensis'') ;Places * Cooloola Great Walk, ...

'' Rentz, 1986 – sugarcane monster

References

*''Grasshopper Country: The Abundant Orthopteroid Insects of Australia'', by

David C. Rentz David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

. 1995.

External links

Species synopses
by the Australian Department of the Environment and Heritage {{Taxonbar, from1=Q2710963, from2=Q13553678 Stenopelmatoidea Ensifera genera Orthoptera of Australia