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Madagascar hissing cockroach | |
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Female | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Blattodea |
Family: | Blaberidae |
Genus: | Gromphadorhina |
Species: | G. portentosa |
Binomial name | |
Gromphadorhina portentosa (Schaum, 1853) | |
The Madagascar hissing cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa), also known as the hissing cockroach or simply hisser, is one of the largest species of cockroach, reaching 5 to 7.5 centimetres (2 to 3 inches) at maturity. They are native to the island of Madagascar, which is off the African mainland, where they are commonly found in rotting logs. It is one of some 20 known species of large hissing roaches from Madagascar, many of which are kept as pets, and often confused with one another by pet dealers; in particular, G. portentosa is commonly confused with G. oblongonota [1] [ better source needed ] and G. picea . [2]
Unlike most cockroaches, they are wingless; The “hissing” sound (expelling air through their bodies) is their primary defense, to frighten potential predators, as they cannot fly and are easily captured. They can reproduce asexually, but usually reproduce sexually. They are excellent climbers and can scale smooth glass. Males can be distinguished from females by their thicker, hairier antennae and the very pronounced bumps on the pronotum. Females carry the ootheca internally, and release the young nymphs only after her offspring have emerged within her (this is known as ovoviviparity). As in some other wood-inhabiting roaches, the parents and offspring will commonly remain in close physical contact for extended periods of time. In captivity, they have been known to live up to 5 years. They feed primarily on vegetable material.
As the common name suggests, the Madagascar hissing cockroach is characterized by its “hissing” sound, which some people claim sounds more like a rattlesnake's tail or a rainstick. [3] This is their primary method of warding off potentially insectivorous predators. The sound is produced as the insect forcefully expels air out of their specialized respiratory spiracles (orifices), mainly those that are located on the insect fourth body segment (abdomen), [4] although spiracles are found, more or less, on all segments of their abdomen. The Madagascar hissing cockroach is the only member of their group of cockroaches that can make audible sounds. Compared to crickets, this exact mode of sound production is atypical, as most insects that make noises do so by rubbing together various body parts ("stridulation"), such as the hind legs. Some long-horned beetles, e.g., the giant Fijian long-horned beetle, hiss by squeezing air out from under their elytra, but this does not involve the spiracles. In hissing cockroaches, the sound takes three forms: the disturbance hiss, the female-attracting hiss, and the aggressive or fighting hiss. All cockroaches from the fourth instar (fourth molting cycle) and older are capable of the disturbance hiss. Only males use the female-attracting hiss and fighting hiss; the latter is used when challenged by other males (males will establish a dominance hierarchy, and a submissive male will back down to end a fight). The hissing makes them a popular pet; initially, they will make the noises when picked up, though they quickly calm down and adjust to being handled and observed up-close.
The mite species Gromphadorholaelaps schaeferi lives on this species of cockroach along the undersides and bases of the legs and takes some of its host's food as well as consuming particulates along the host's body. As these mites do not harm the cockroaches they live upon, they are commensals, not parasites, unless they build up to abnormal levels and start starving their host. Recent studies have shown that these mites also may have beneficial qualities for the cockroaches, in that they clean the surfaces of the cockroaches of pathogenic mold spores, which in turn increases the life expectancy of the cockroaches.[ citation needed ]
The Madagascar hissing cockroach has been known to be featured in Hollywood movies, prominently in Bug (1975), as cockroaches who could set fires by rubbing their legs together, and in Damnation Alley (1977) as post-nuclear-war mutant armor-plated "killer" cockroaches. In Starship Troopers , a sci-fi satire film about future humans’ war against an alien species called "The Bugs", a teacher is shown encouraging her students to step on this species as part of a TV propaganda broadcast.
In 1984, a guest named Adam Zweig appeared on Late Night with David Letterman , demonstrating his pet Madagascar cockroach “climbing the tightrope over the fires of hell and the pit of doom”. [5]
A Madagascar hissing cockroach was used by artist Garnet Hertz as the driver of a mobile robotic artwork. [6]
They were frequently used in the reality television series Fear Factor , where in one episode of the 2002 series, featuring celebrities competing for charity, the host, Joe Rogan, ate one as part of a wager with contestant Alison Sweeney of Days of Our Lives after she had what Rogan has since described as "the greatest freak-out in Fear Factor history" after panicking during a stunt. While normally she would be eliminated, as the show was for charity, it was decided that if she ate 3 worms she would advance to the final stunt regardless. In addition, Rogan would eat a cockroach as part of the bet.
The species also made an appearance in the movie Men in Black in 1997. This was later parodied in the comedy Team America: World Police (2004), where a cockroach emerges from a Kim Jong-il puppet's body after his death, enters a tiny spaceship, and flies away.
In September 2006, amusement park Six Flags Great America announced that it would be granting unlimited line-jumping privileges (for all rides) to anyone who could eat a live Madagascar hissing cockroach, as part of a Halloween-themed promotion for their annual FrightFest. Furthermore, if a contestant managed to beat the previous world record (eating 36 cockroaches in 1 minute), they would receive season passes, for four people, for the 2007 season. Despite any protein or additional nutrients, cockroaches contain a mild neurotoxin that numbs the mouth and makes it difficult to swallow. [7] The promotion ended on October 29, 2006.
Since 2011 [8] the Bronx Zoo has held a roach-naming and gifting program themed for Valentine's Day [9] allowing their Madagascar hissing cockroaches to be named by benefactors. Funds raised are donated to Wildlife Conservation Society, the parent nonprofit organization of the zoo.
Madagascar cockroaches can be kept as exotic pets. They require a small living area with an area for them to hide because they dislike light sources. The cockroaches prefer warmth and they cannot function in cold weather. Due to their propensity to climb, the living area must be tested to see if they can climb it as they do in their natural environment. Fish tanks with screens work best but it is also wise to coat the top few inches with petroleum jelly to keep them from getting out of the habitat that they are kept in.[ citation needed ] They can live on fresh vegetables along with any kind of pellet food that is high in protein, such as dry dog food. [6]
In the US, some states require permits before this species can be kept as a pet or in breeding colonies. The state of Florida requires such a permit. This is because of the similarity between Madagascar and Florida in climate, which makes them potentially invasive. In fact, during outreach programs, the University of Florida's Department of Entomology and Nematology, which has such a permit, allows only males to be taken out of the laboratory. This is to prevent the possible introduction of a pregnant female into the environment. It is also possible to raise them to feed other pets, as they are reasonably high in protein. Reptiles are often given roaches as food. [10]
The central bearded dragon, also known as the inland bearded dragon, is a species of agamid lizard found in a wide range of arid to semiarid regions of eastern and central Australia.
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.
The oriental cockroach, also known as the waterbug or black cockroach, is a large species of cockroach, adult males being 18–29 mm and adult females being 20–27 mm. It is dark brown or black in color and has a glossy body. The female has a somewhat different appearance from the male, appearing to be wingless at a casual glance, but is brachypterous, having non-functional wings just below her head. She has a wider body than the male. The male has long wings, which cover three quarters of the abdomen and are brown in color, and has a narrower body. Both of them are flightless. The female oriental cockroach looks somewhat similar to the Florida woods cockroach and may be mistaken for it. Originally endemic to the Crimean Peninsula and the region around the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, its distribution is now cosmopolitan.
The smokybrown cockroach is a large species of cockroach, winged, and growing to a length of 32–35 millimetres (1.3–1.4 in).
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.
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.
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.
Live food is living animals used as food for other carnivorous or omnivorous animals kept in captivity; in other words, small preys fed alive to larger predators kept either in a zoo or as a pet.
Androlaelaps schaeferi is a mite that lives on the Madagascar hissing cockroach. While it was formerly believed that it sucks body fluid from its host, coloring experiments have shown that this is false. Instead, it takes part in its host's meal. They are usually concentrated between the host's legs and around the spiracles.
Because of their long, persistent association with humans, cockroaches are frequently referred to in art, literature, folk tales, and theater and film. In Western culture, cockroaches are often depicted as vile and dirty pests. Their size, long antennae, shiny appearance and spiny legs make them disgusting to many humans, sometimes even to the point of phobic responses.
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).
Insects are hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body, three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and a pair of antennae. Insects are the most diverse group of animals, with more than a million described species; they represent more than half of all animal species.
Live insect jewelry refers to jewelry made from living creatures – usually bejeweled oversized insects – which is worn as a fashion accessory. The use of insects as live jewelry has existed for many centuries, with the Egyptians believed to have been the first to have worn insects as jewelry. Ancient Egyptian soldiers commonly wore scarab beetles into battle as the beetles were considered to have supernatural powers of protection against enemies.
Gromphadorhina oblongonota, the wide-horned hisser, is a large, flightless species of hissing cockroach from southern Madagascar, and one of four members of the genus Gromphadorhina. This species is common in the pet trade, but it is difficult to distinguish from G. portentosa and is commonly confused with it, although oblongonota tends to be significantly larger and somewhat darker than portentosa.
Gromphadorhina is a genus of large, flightless cockroaches from southern Madagascar; they are typical of the tribe Gromphadorhini and common in the pet trade. In the older literature, the name is sometimes misspelled as Gromphadorrhina.
Gromphadorhini, the hissing cockroaches, is a tribe of large, flightless cockroaches comprising 20 known species in six genera, all but one from the island of Madagascar where they inhabit wood, leaf litter or rocky crevices in forest or woodland; the one exception, Elliptorhina lefeuvri, being from Europa Island off the coast of Madagascar. Many of the species are popular in the pet trade.
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.
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.
Elliptorhina is a genus of large, flightless cockroaches that are part of the tribe Gromphadorhini. There are ten known species, nine of those found on the island of Madagascar and one, Elliptorhina lefeuvri, found on Europa Island. Some of its species are regularly seen in the pet trade.
Elliptorhina javanica, also known as the Halloween hisser, is a large species of wingless cockroach native to the island of Madagascar.