Arenivaga | |
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Female Arenivaga floridensis | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Blattodea |
Family: | Corydiidae |
Genus: | Arenivaga Rehn, 1903 |
Species | |
Arenivaga africana Contents |
Arenivaga is a genus of sand cockroaches, of the subfamily Corydiinae, in the family Corydiidae. These cockroaches live in sandy soils and dunes in the southwestern United States, Florida and Mexico. Arenivaga comes from the Latin arena meaning sand and vagus meaning wandering. [1]
This genus is sexually dimorphic, with males and females differing in morphology. The insects are dorso-ventrally flattened and males have wings that are generally longer than the abdomen. The colour cannot be relied on to distinguish between species because the insects sequester pigments from their food and therefore their colour depends on their diet; they accumulate uric acid in varying amounts, and this also affects their appearance. [2]
The head has a pair of long, slender antennae, two large compound eyes and two protuberant ocelli. The labrum is broad, and the frons and the hinder part of the clypeus are fused and form a bulge in a manner unusual for cockroaches. The pronotum is large and covers the head and extends sideways to about the width of the body. There are setae on the dorsal surface of the pronotum and different species have different patterning, which may be impressed into the surface. The patterning may be surrounded by an aura which radiates out from the pattern, and at the side of the pronotum, uric acid may be stored in white or pale pink patches. [2]
The smallest species is A. pumila at a length of 14 mm (0.55 in), and the largest A. bolliana at 24 mm (0.94 in). Some species are broader and more robust than others. The legs bear many spines, including spines around the joint between the meso and meta-tibia, and the tarsi have two claws, except in A. darwini where there is only one. The main means of distinguishing between the different species is close examination of the male genitalia. [2]
Females and nymphs live underground, "swimming" through the sandy substrate and residing in the burrows of small mammals with which they cohabit. They feed on mycorrhizal fungi, plant detritus, and the seeds gathered by the mammals. Males have brief lives and live mostly on the surface. The breeding habits of sand cockroaches have been little studied but it seems that females emerge onto the surface at night, attract the winged males, perhaps by the use of pheromones, mate and rebury themselves in the sand. [2]
The desert cockroach (A. investigata) has been shown to be able to absorb water from the atmosphere. [3]
The Cooloola monster is a large burrowing orthopteran of the family Cooloolidae, a family erected to accommodate it because it is so dissimilar to other ensiferans. It was discovered in 1980 in the Great Sandy National Park in Queensland, Australia, by David C. Rentz. Further members of the genus Cooloola were later discovered at other locations in Queensland.
The desert rat-kangaroo, also called the buff-nosed rat-kangaroo, plains rat-kangaroo or oolacunta, is an extinct small hopping marsupial endemic to desert regions of Central Australia. It was first recorded in the early 1840s and described by John Gould in London in 1843, on the basis of three specimens sent to him by George Grey, the governor of South Australia at the time.
The American cockroach is the largest species of common cockroach, and often considered a pest. In certain regions of the U.S. it is colloquially known as the waterbug, though it is not a true waterbug since it is not aquatic. It is also known as the ship cockroach, kakerlac, and Bombay canary. It is often misidentified as a palmetto bug.
Parcoblatta fulvescens, the fulvous wood cockroach, is a species of cockroach endemic to the United States and possibly Canada that measures around 13 mm (0.5 in) long.
Cockroaches are insects belonging to the order Blattaria. About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are well-known as pests.
The giant burrowing cockroach is also known as the rhinoceros cockroach, and Queensland giant cockroach. These cockroaches are native to Australia and mostly found in tropical and subtropical parts of Queensland. They are the world's heaviest species of cockroach and can weigh up to 30-35 grams and measure up to 7.5-8 cm (3.1 in) in length. It is a member of the family Blaberidae, which contains hundreds of species. It is part of the blaberid subfamily Geoscapheinae. It is prominent in the wild and can also be sold and kept as a pet.
The death's head cockroach is a species of cockroach belonging to the family Blaberidae. It is often confused with the discoid cockroach, Blaberus discoidalis, due to its similar appearance. It is distinguished by jet black cloak-like marking on its wings and a skull-shaped, amber/black marking on its pronotum. The name death's head comes from the markings on the top of the pronotum: "cranii", which is Latin for "of the head", and "fer", meaning "carry" or "carrier". Due to their unique appearance and certain characteristics, they make an easy to care for pet or display insect for entomologists and hobbyists.
The bush coconut, or bloodwood apple, is an Australian bush tucker food. It is an insect gall with both plant and animal components: an adult female scale insect and her offspring live in a gall induced on a bloodwood eucalypt tree (Corymbia). Bush coconuts can vary from golf ball to tennis ball size. They have a hard and lumpy outer layer. The inner layer is a white flesh that contains the female insect and her offspring. There are three known species of Cystococcus responsible for forming the bush coconut: Cystococcus pomiformis, Cystococcus echiniformis and Cystococcus campanidorsalis. C. pomiformis is the most common species. The bush coconut is found in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales.
The inland broad-nosed bat is a species of vesper bat. They are endemic to Australia and widespread throughout the inland, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. This insectivorous microbat, measuring 12 centimetres (4.7 in) in length, roosts in tree hollows during the day and forages over woodland and water at night.
The inland forest bat is a vesper bat that occurs in central and arid regions in Australia. They were first described in 1987, published in a review of poorly surveyed microbat populations. A tiny flying mammal, whose body is around twelve millimetres (½ inch) long, that occupies small cavities in trees and buildings while roosting. The nocturnal activity is foraging for insects, typically moths.
Eurycnema goliath, commonly known as the goliath stick insect, or the regal stick insect, is a large species of stick insect in the family Phasmatidae, endemic to Australia and considered one of the largest species of stick insects in the country. The species has the Phasmid Study Group number PSG14.
Coreus marginatus is a herbivorous species of true bug in the family Coreidae. It is commonly known as the dock bug as it feeds on the leaves and seeds of docks and sorrels. It is a medium-sized speckled brown insect, between 13 and 15 mm long as an adult, with a broad abdomen. It occurs throughout Europe, Asia and northern Africa. It is often found in dense vegetation, such as hedgerows and wasteland.
Blattabacterium is a genus of obligate mutualistic endosymbiont bacteria that are believed to inhabit all species of cockroach studied to date, with the exception of the genus Nocticola. The genus' presence in the termite Mastotermes darwiniensis led to speculation, later confirmed, that termites and cockroaches are evolutionarily linked.
Archaster typicus is a species of starfish in the family Archasteridae. It is commonly known as the sand star or the sand sifting star but these names are also applied to starfish in the genus Astropecten. It is found in shallow waters in the Indo-Pacific region.
Parcoblatta lata, the broad wood cockroach, is a species of wood cockroach native to the United States. It is one of the largest species of wood cockroaches.
Parcoblatta desertae, the desert wood cockroach or desert cockroach, is a species of Parcoblatta endemic to the United States state of Texas.
Ectobius vittiventris, the amber wood cockroach or amber forest cockroach, is a species belonging to the order Blattodea and is a type of wood cockroach originally from southern Europe. It is completely harmless to humans and is not a storage pest, as it only feeds on decomposing plant material and perishes within a few days in human dwellings due to a lack of food. Its original range was south of the Alps, but is now permanently established north of the Alps and in southern Germany.
The Hawkes Bay tree wētā, Hemideina trewicki, is a large arboreal long-horned cricket in the order Orthoptera. The species is endemic to New Zealand and restricted to the Hawke's Bay region of North Island
Corydiinae is a subfamily of the order Blattodea (cockroaches). Many are known as sand cockroaches. The subfamily, comprising about 20 genera, contains half the genera in Corydiidae. One prominent species is the desert cockroach, Arenivaga investigata.
Eucorydia donanensis is a species of iridescent cockroach in the family Corydiidae. It was discovered on Yonaguni Island of Japan's Ryukyu Archipelago, and was believed to be restricted to that island until its discovery on nearby Ishigakijima Island in June 2022.