What is a Cockroach?
Posted on May 19th, 2010 in Uncategorized | No Comments »
The word cockroach is rooted in the Spanish cucaracha. The cockroach is recognizable by a flat oval body, long threadlike antennae, and a shiny black or brown leathery integument. The head is held downward, and the mouthparts are directed to the rear instead of forward or downward as is the case for the majority of other insects. The male frequently has two pairs of wings, but the female, who in some species, is wingless or possesses vestigial wings. The female generates eggs in egg cases (known as oothecae). These are at times held coming from her body or can be glued in protected locations. After the female generates an egg case, the soft, white nymphs emerge. As their exoskeleton solidifies, it turns brown in hue. The structure and large size (some species demonstrate a wingspan measurement of more than 12 cm [4.7 inches]) of cockroaches have made them objects of study in the biological laboratory.
The cockroach likes a warm, humid, dark living habitat and is frequently found in tropical and other mild locations. Just a small number species have become pests. The insect inflicts damage upon more material than it eats and emits a disagreeable odour. The eating habits of the roach, which can be both plant and animal produce, goes from food, paper, clothing, and books to dead insects, particularly bedbugs. Insecticides can be used in roach removing.
The American cockroach (species Periplaneta americana) is 30 to 50 mm long (up to about 2 inches), reddish brown, and lives outside or in dark, heated indoor locations (e.g., basements and furnace rooms). In adult life, a period of about 1.5 years, the female drops 50 or more oothecae, each containing around 16 eggs that hatch after 45 days. Nymphal life takes from 11 to 14 months. The American cockroach, originally from tropical and subtropical America, possesses well-developed wings. However, many species are seldom great flyers.
The German cockroach (Blattella germanica), a common pest in the household and sometimes incorrectly referred to as a waterbug, is light brown with two dark stripes on the prothoracic region. The female produces the ootheca three days post mating and carries it for around 20 days. Because it is tiny in size (about 12 mm [less than 0.5 inch] long), this cockroach frequently is carried into households in grocery bags and boxes; it has moved across the world by ship. Three or more generations may occur yearly. This cockroach, found in abundance around the water pipes of the Croton Aqueduct in New York City, became labeled the Croton bug.
The brown-banded cockroach (Supella supellectilium) resembles the German cockroach but is a bit smaller. The male has wholly developed wings and is lighter in colour than the female, whose wings are stunted and nonfunctional. Both sexes have two light-coloured bands along the back. The adult life span is generally about 200 days, and there might be two generations a year. Eggs can be dropped in clothes, wood molding, or cracks in the floor. With the introduction of heated buildings this cockroach became established in cooler climates.
The Oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis) is held as one of the most disgusting of household pests. It is oval, shiny black or dark brown, 25 to 30 mm (1 to 1.2 inches) long, with a life cycle like that of the American cockroach. The male possesses short, fully developed wings, but the female has vestigial wings. This cockroach has been taken by vehicles of commerce from its Asiatic origins to almost every temperate regions.
Wood roaches are feral pests. Parcoblatta pennsylvanica, the common wood cockroach, habits beneath logs and stones in northern latitudes. The male and female are so different in appearance that they were once thought to be unique species. The male, 15 to 25 mm (0.6 to 1 inch) long, has wings that expand beyond the abdomen; the female is smaller and possesses much shorter wings. Cryptocercus punctulatus eats wood with the help of some protozoans in its digestive tract.
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