Table Of ContentContributions
The rare collembolan genus, Temeritas (Symphypleona:
Sminthuridae), in southern Australia: systematics,
distribution and conservation status
Penelope Greenslade
CentreforEnvironmentalManagement,UniversityofBallarat,Ballarat,Victoria3353
SouthAustralianMuseum,NorthTerrace,Adelaide,SouthAustralia5000.
SchoolofBiology,AustralianNationalUniversity,AustralianCapitalTerritory0200.
Email:[email protected].
Abstract
AbriefsummaryofthegenusTemeritasisgivenwithdistributionsofthefourdescribedAustralianspeciesand
recordsofotherspeciesinthegenus.AspellingcorrectionisdocumentedfortheWesternAustralianspecies
andanewnamefortheVictorianspeciesisformallyproposedhereastheoriginalnameispreoccupied.Char-
actersthatdistinguish Temeritasfromalliedgeneraarenotedandtheconservationstatusofthethreesouthern
speciesandCollembolaingeneralarediscussed. (TheVictorianNaturalist130(1)2013,45-48)
Keywords: Temeritasdenisi Temeritasregalis, Temeritaselegans
,
Introduction
TheCollembola, commonnameSpringtail, are
a group ofarthropods, little known because of
theirsmallsizeandcryptichabits.However,the
class is abundant, widespread and species-rich
with a high proportion ofspecies endemic to
Australia. Genera in some families include a
high proportion of endemic species (short-
range endemics), an example being the genus
Temeritas Delamare Deboutteville and Mas-
soud, 1963.
Species of Temeritas are easily recognised as
mm
they are globular, up to 2 long, usually
brightlycoloured with purple stripesandspots
and slender antennae that are longer than the
headandbodycombined(Figs 1,2,3).
The genus has a predominantly pantropical
distribution although, exceptionally, somespe-
cies inAustralia and NewZealand are restrict-
edtotemperateclimates.Atpresent, 47species F(iWgo.me1r.slPeeyn)abnydJMinBketdsrcahwing of Temeritas regalis
are known in the genus, ofwhich three have
been described from Australia (Bellinger etal
2012). The Australian species were described (1936, 1939), he correctlychanged the specific
originally in the genus Sminthurus Latreille nametoS. denisi.Womersleyalsorecordedthis
as S. denisi Womersley, 1934 from south-west species from New Zealand (Womersley 1936)
Western Australia, S. regalis Womersley, 1939 but the record is unlikely and remains uncon-
from southern South Australia and S. elegans firmed. Najt (1968) transferred twooftheAus-
Womersley, 1939fromsouthernVictoria.These tralian species, S. regalis and S. elegans, to the
speciesare clearlyallopatric. Sminthurusdenisi genus Temeritas, but transposed their locali-
was incorrectlynamed asS. denisiibyWomer- ties in herpublication. Later, S. denisiwas also
sley (1934) but, in his subsequent publications transferredto TemeritasbyGreenslade (1994).
Vol 130 (1) 2013 45
Contributions
1948) originally described from Vietnam (P.
Greensladenewrecord). Localities fromwhere
undescribedspecies havebeen collected in the
last20yearsareSweersIsland,Kuranda,Wood-
stockandLamingtonNationalParkinQueens-
land, McArthur RiverandJabiru intheNorth-
ern Territory, New England National Park,
Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island in New
SouthWales, and Brookton and Barrow Island
in Western Australia. The genus has not been
collectedfromTasmania.
Systematics
Among the other genera ofglobular Collem-
bola in Australia, Temeritas is distinct because
ofthe relatively large size ofspecies (nearly 2
mm
long), their strongly annulated antennae
that are longer than the body, and attractive
colour patterns and bands (Fig. 1). Species of
Temeritas can be distinguished from Sminthu-
rus,inwhichgenus Womersley(1934) firstde-
scribed thesouthernAustralian species, bythe
lack ofan internal spine on trochanter III and
theshorterantennae. Thereisonlyone species
ofSminthurus in Australia, the pest species S.
Fig2.LinedrawingofTemeritasdenisi(Womersley) viridis(L.).TherearethreeothergenerainAus-
fromWomersley(1939) traliawith which Temeritasmight be confused
but are distinct because oftheir long, strongly
anulated antennae, often relatively large size
and attractive colour patterns, particularly in
thebanded antennae (Fig. 4). Thefirst ofthese
is Parropalites Bonet and Tellez, new record,
whichisknownonlyfromrainforestsinnorth-
ern Queensland; butthisgenus is poorlychar-
acterised at present and it has much shorter
antennae. Thesecondgenuswithwhich Temer-
itascould beconfused isPararrhopalites Bonet
andTellez,newrecord.ThethirdisSphyrotheca
Borner, another superficially similar genus but
it has aneosminthuroidsetaventrolaterally on
abdominal segment IV and also antennae that
fFirgo.m3.WLoimneerdsrlaewyin(g19o3f9)TemeritasisabellaeGreenslade areshorterthanthebody.
Nomenclature
Distribution As the original name of the Victorian Smin-
A number of undescribed species have been thurus elegans is preoccupied by Sminthurus
collected from the northern regions of West- elegans Fitch, 1863 from North America (now
ernAustralia,Northern Territoryand Queens- Sminthurinus elegans), even though the Aus-
land including the Torres Strait Islands. The tralian species has been transferred to a dif-
species from Murray Island, Torres Strait, has ferent genus, a new name is required and it is
beenidentifiedas Temeritasxvomersleyi(Denis, renamedhereas Temeritasisabellae.
46 TheVictorianNaturalist
Contributions
Table1.Totalnumberofdescribedspecies,endemicspeciesandpercentageofendemic speciesin
eachfamilyofCollembolaknownfromAustralia
Highertaxon Totaldescribed Numberofendemic %endemic
species species species
Arrhopalitidae 2 0 0
Bourletiellidae 24 16 66
Brachystomellidae 21 18 85
Cyphoderidae 4 2 50
Dicyrtomidae 4 3 75
Entomobryidae 76 33 50
Hypogastruridae 28 7 25
Isotomidae 53 23 44
Katiannidae 32 24 75
Neanuridae 46 36 78
Neelidae 3 0 0
Odontellidae 4 3 75
Oncopoduridae 1 1 100
Onychiuridae 5 0 0
Paronellidae 14 10 71
Sminthuridae 6 3 50
Sminthurididae 6 2 33
Spinothecidae 1 1 100
Tomoceridae 7 3 43
Tullbergiidae 17 8 47
Mean 53
Conservationstatus tiellidae), Epimetrura Schott (Entomobryidae)
In spite of the high proportion of nationally and Folsomotoma Bagnall (Isotomidae). The
endemic andlocallyendemic species, the con- percentages of endemic compared with total
servation of only a few Collembola has been speciesineachfamilyknownfromAustraliaare
given attention. Tasphorura vesiculata Greens- given in Table 1. Total mean endemism is 53%
lade and Rusek (Tullbergiidae), occurs only in and several ofthe larger families contain more
mossinasmallpatchofrainforestinnorth-east than 70% endemic species (Brachystomellidae,
Tasmania, which has been given a low level of Katiannidae, Neanuridae, Paronellidae) (Table
protectioninthatanyfutureloggingmustcon- 1). Many of these endemic species would be
sider protecting this species. Another is a spe- shortrangeendemics.
ciesofAustralotomurus,Stach(Entomobryidae: All southern Australian species of Temeritas
Orchesellinae) found in only four vegetation are uncommon and patchy in distribution.
remnantsin urban Perth. Itwaslisted withthe Because their habitats include leaf litter, na-
Western Australian Wildlife Conservation Act tive grasses, moss and under logs in humid
1950butdelistedafewyears latereven though forests, they are likely to be susceptible to cli-
one of the remnants was partially alienated mate warming. Indeed, some populations may
(P. Greenslade submitted). Some other genera already have become locally extinct as a result
of Collembola known to contain short range of drought and competition from invasive
endemics are Nasosminthurus Stach (Bourle- exotic species as well as longer term climate
Vol 130 (1) 2013 47
Contributions
Fig.4. PhotographofTemeritasisabellaefromtheDandenongRanges,Victoria.
change. For instance, T. regalis was collected Greenslade P (1994) Collembola. In ZooloWgiWcaKl Catalogue
relatively frequently in the southern Mt Lofty oVfolAuusmterali2a2,: ppP.rot1u9r-a1,38;Co1l5l7e-m1b8o4l.a,EdDiplura. H(oCuSsItRoOn:.
Ranges in the 1970s buthas notbeen foundin Collingwood,Vic)
thelast20yearsinlocalitieswhereitwasprevi- NajtJ(1968)NouveauxdocumentssurlegenreTemeritaset
sadistributiongeographique(CollemboleSymphypleone).
ouslypresent. Temeritasisabellaewasdescribed Revued'EcologieetBiologieduSol5,631-636.
originally from Kalorama, Mt Dandenong and WomersleyH (1933)Onsomeadditionstothesminthurid
there are also old records from Erskine River, WofmaeurnsaloefyAuHst(ra1l9i3a4.)SNtoytloepsso2n,2s4o1m-e24A7u.stralianCollembola.
ToolangiStateForest,BellelCreek,Coranderrk Stylops3,244-246.
ReserveandSilverbandFallsintheGrampians, Wolmaendr.slTeryanHsac(t1i9o3n6s)oOfnthteheRoCyoallleSomcbioeltaynoffaNuenwaoZfeNaleawndZe6a6-,
salpleciineVsichtaosrian.otAsbeweinthcoT.llreecgtaelids,itnhethVeicltaostri3a0n Wo3m1e6r-s3l2e8.yH(1939)PrimitiveInsectsofSouthAustralia.Sil-
years. A search in suitable localities and habi- Avedrefliashi,deS)pringtails and theirallies. (Government Printer:
tats should be undertaken as a priority, to es-
tablishitscurrentconservationstatus.
Received28June2012;accepted30August2012
References
Bellinger PF, Christiansen KAandJanssensF (1996-2012)
ChecklistoftheCollembolaoftheWorld.http://www.col-
lembola.orgAccessedJune2012.
48 TheVictorianNaturalist
