Blaberus discoidalis

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Discoid cockroach
Naturkundliche Sammlung Ubermaxx Uberseemuseum Bremen 0036.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Blattodea
Family: Blaberidae
Genus: Blaberus
Species:
B. discoidalis
Binomial name
Blaberus discoidalis
Synonyms
  • Blabera rufescensSaussure & Zhentner, 1894 [1]
  • Blabera subspurcataWalker, F, 1868
  • Blabera variansServille, 1838
  • Blabera cubensisSaussure, 1864
  • Blabera discoidalisServille, 1838

Blaberus discoidalis, commonly known as the discoid cockroach, [2] tropical cockroach, [3] West Indian leaf cockroach, [3] false death's head cockroach, [4] [5] Haitian cockroach, [6] and drummer, [7] is a cockroach native to Central America of the "giant cockroach" family, Blaberidae. [6] [8]

Contents

The adult is around 35–45 mm (1.4–1.8 in) in length, and is tan with a dark brown to black patch on its pronotum. [6] The juvenile is brown with tan speckles, and matures to adulthood in 4–5 months. [6] Adults have wings but are not active fliers, [6] and they can not climb smooth vertical surfaces, simplifying their care in captivity.

Blaberus discoidalis is called the false death's head cockroach because of its superficial resemblance to the death's head cockroach, Blaberus craniifer.

Distribution

Adult and juvenile specimens at Smithsonian National Zoological Park Washington DC Zoo - Blaberus discoidalis 1.jpg
Adult and juvenile specimens at Smithsonian National Zoological Park

Blaberus discoidalis is found in Jamaica, Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico (Vieques Island), Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, and Florida. [7]

Locomotion

The movement of B. discoidalis runs relatively inefficiently – wasting movement as it runs. It can move about 25 of its body lengths per second, around half the speed of common cockroach Periplaneta americana. [9] In laboratory tests, B. discoidalis cockroaches were adept at obstacle climbing, and maintaining stability with miniature "cannons" strapped to their bodies designed to knock them off balance mid-run. [9] The species served as the basis for the kinematics design of several cockroach-inspired robots. [10] [11]

Uses

Pet food

They are very easy to raise in captivity, so make good feed for insectivorous pets such as tarantulas, bearded dragons, and other lizards.

These animals breed readily in captivity. They reach breeding age in about 6 months if kept warm, with 85–90 °F recommended for more productive breeding. Females carry their eggs inside a brooding pouch having genital chamber and vestibulum until they are fertilised by male spermatophore.


Insect eating competitions

Discoid cockroaches are also used in insect eating competitions since they are often raised in captivity and are easier to gather in large numbers during a contest. In 2012, Edward Archibold died as a result of 'asphyxia due to choking and aspiration of gastric contents,' according to his autopsy report, in a cockroach eating contest in south Florida.

Fuel cell

Blaberus discoidalis was used in an experiment to create a miniature fuel cell, producing electricity from naturally occurring sugar in the insect and oxygen in the air. [12] The power density of the species is considered a good design target for small robots. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blaberidae</span> Family of cockroaches

Giant cockroaches, or blaberids, are the second-largest cockroach family by number of species. Mostly distributed in warmer climates worldwide, this family is based on the American genus Blaberus, but much of the diversity is also found in Africa and Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ootheca</span> Type of egg mass made by some molluscs, mantises and cockroaches

An ootheca is a type of egg capsule made by any member of a variety of species including mollusks, mantises, and cockroaches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American cockroach</span> Species of cockroach

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida woods cockroach</span> Species of cockroach

The Florida woods cockroach is a large cockroach species which typically grows to a length of 30–40 mm (1.2–1.6 in). When alarmed, adults can eject an extremely foul-smelling directional spray up to 1 m, which inspired several of its other common names: Florida skunk roach, Florida stinkroach, skunk cockroach, skunk roach, stinking cockroach, and stinkroach. Two other naming variations include Florida cockroach and Florida woods roach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surinam cockroach</span> Species of cockroach

The Surinam cockroach or greenhouse cockroach is a species of burrowing cockroach. It is a common plant pest endemic to the Indomalayan realm that has spread to tropical and into subtropical regions around the world, and in isolated populations to temperate climates where protective habitat such as greenhouses provide shelter for individuals inadvertently shipped in the soil of plants. Its populations are almost exclusively female, and it reproduces through parthenogenesis, having evolved several clonal strains from its sexual progenitor P. indicus.

<i>Parcoblatta virginica</i> Species of insect

Parcoblatta virginica, the Virginia wood cockroach, is a small cockroach species of the genus Parcoblatta, measuring about a centimeter long as an adult.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cockroach</span> Insects of the order Blattodea

Cockroaches are insects belonging to the order Blattodea (Blattaria). About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are well-known pests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant burrowing cockroach</span> Species of cockroach

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death's head cockroach</span> Species of cockroach

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.

<i>Blaberus giganteus</i> Species of cockroach

Blaberus giganteus, the Central American giant cave cockroach or Brazilian cockroach, is a cockroach belonging to the family Blaberidae. One of the world's largest cockroaches, it is native to the warm parts of the Neotropical realm.

<i>Blaberus</i> Genus of cockroaches

Blaberus is a genus of cockroaches native to the Neotropics found in the Americas. More than 30 species are in the genus, and some of them are popular among hobbyists as pets or as feed for other arthropods. Unlike several genera of cockroaches considered to be pests, this genus keeps its ootheca in its abdomen until the time it hatches. They generally require a relative humidity of 60% or higher to thrive and temperatures above 25 °C to reproduce.

<i>Blaptica dubia</i> Species of cockroach

Blaptica dubia, the dubia roach, orange-spotted roach, Guyana spotted roach, or Argentinian wood roach, is a medium-sized species of cockroach which grows to around 40–45 mm (1.6–1.8 in).

<i>Nauphoeta</i> Species of cockroach

Nauphoeta cinerea, the speckled cockroach, lobster cockroach, or (small) cinereous cockroach, is a species of cockroach in the family Blaberidae. It is the sole species in the genus Nauphoeta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turkestan cockroach</span> Species of cockroach

The Turkestan cockroach, Periplaneta lateralis, also known as the rusty red cockroach, red runner cockroach or simply rusty red, red runner, or lat, is a primarily outdoor-dwelling cockroach native to an area from northern Africa to Central Asia. Adults measure around 3 cm (1.2 in) in length. Adult males are a brownish orange or red, are slender, and have long, yellowish wings which allow it to attract females and to glide. Adult females are dark brown to black, with cream-colored markings on the shield and a cream-colored stripe edging its wings; they are broader than males, and have short vestigial wings. Nymphs are brown in front, black on the rear, and are wingless.

<i>Eublaberus distanti</i> Species of cockroach

Eublaberus distanti, known as the Six-spotted cockroach, Four-spotted cockroach, Four-spot cockroach, or Trinidad bat-cave cockroach, is a primarily cave-dwelling Central and South American cockroach of the genus Eublaberus and named after William Lucas Distant.

<i>Cariblatta lutea</i> Species of cockroach

Cariblatta lutea is a small species of cockroach native to the United States and other countries, measuring usually around 7 millimeters long as an adult and under 2 millimeters from head tip to abdomen tip at the 1st instar or hatchling. It consists of two subspecies, the small yellow cockroach, and the least yellow cockroach.

<i>Parcoblatta uhleriana</i> Species of cockroach

Parcoblatta uhleriana, the Uhler's wood cockroach, is a species of Parcoblatta native to the United States and Canada. It is a forest species also found in disturbed and urban environments. The male of the species flies freely, while the female does not fly.

<i>Parcoblatta lata</i> Species of cockroach

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.

<i>Lucihormetica verrucosa</i> Species of cockroach

Lucihormetica verrucosa is a species of giant cockroach in the family Blaberidae, commonly known as the warty glowspot cockroach. It is native to Venezuela and Colombia.

References

  1. ↑ "Synonyms of Tropical Cockroach (Blaberus discoidalis)". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  2. ↑ Clopton, Richard E. (2011). "Redescription of Protomagalhaensia granulosae Peregrine, 1970 (Apicomplexa: Eugregarinida: Blabericolidae) Parasitizing the Discoid Cockroach, Blaberus discoidalis (Dictyoptera: Blaberidae)" (PDF). Comparative Parasitology. 78 (1): 63–72. doi:10.1654/4475.1. ISSN   1525-2647. S2CID   30474034.
  3. 1 2 "Common Names for Tropical Cockroach (Blaberus discoidalis)". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  4. ↑ Marshall, Samuel D. (2001). Tarantulas and Other Arachnids: Everything about Purchase, Care, Nutrition, Behavior, and Housing. Barron's Educational Series. p. 93. ISBN   978-0-7641-1463-2.
  5. ↑ "Biofuel cell generates electricity when implanted in false deaths head cockroach (Press release)". ACS News Service. American Chemical Society. 1 February 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Stockton, Donna. "Husbandry Data Sheet: Haitian cockroaches, Blaberus discoidalis" (PDF). TITAG Husbandry Information. Terrestrial Invertebrate Taxon Advisory Group. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  7. 1 2 Beccaloni, GW (2007). "species Blaberus discoidalis Serville, 1838". Blattodea Species File Online. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  8. ↑ "ITIS Standard Report Page: Blaberus discoidalis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  9. 1 2 Bell, WJ; Roth, LM; Nalepa, CA (2007). Cockroaches: Ecology, Behavior, and Natural History (PDF). JHU Press. pp. 18, 78. ISBN   978-0-8018-8616-4.
  10. ↑ Pavone, Marco (2005). Architecture for autonomous robots: adaptive locomotion and distributed covering (PDF) (Diploma thesis). Scuola Superiore di Catania.
  11. ↑ Bekey, George A. (2005). Autonomous Robots: From Biological Inspiration to Implementation and Control. MIT Press. p. 293. ISBN   978-0-262-02578-2.
  12. ↑ Rasmussen, Michelle; Ritzmann, Roy E.; Lee, Irene; Pollack, Alan J.; Scherson, Daniel (2012). "An Implantable Biofuel Cell for a Live Insect". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 134 (3): 1458–1460. doi:10.1021/ja210794c. ISSN   0002-7863. PMID   22239249.
  13. ↑ Steltz, Erik Edward (2008). Redesign of the Micromechanical Flying Insect in a Power Density Context (PDF) (PhD thesis). University of California, Berkeley. p. 10. ISBN   978-0-549-83412-0. (also published as Technical Report No. UCB/EECS-2008-56)
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