The word cockroach is stemmed from the Spanish cucaracha. The cockroach is recognized by a flat oval body, long threadlike antennae, and a shining black or brown leathery integument. The head is held downward, and the mouthparts are aimed to the back instead of forward or downward as is the case for almost all other insects. The male often has two pairs of wings, whereas the female, who in some species, is wingless or appears with vestigial wings. The female creates eggs in egg cases (called oothecae). These are sometimes held away from her body or might be glued in protected areas. After the female deposits an egg case, the soft, white nymphs emerge. As their exoskeleton toughens, it turns brown in appearance. The geometry and big size (particular species have a wingspread of over 12 cm [4.7 inches]) of cockroaches have made them a keen interest in the biological laboratory.
The cockroach prefers a warm, humid, dark environment and is usually found in tropical or other mild climates. Only a small number of species have become pests. The insect inflicts damage on more material than it digests and has a disgusting smell. The food of the roach, which should be both plant and animal products, ranges from food, paper, clothing, and books to dead insects, including bedbugs. Insecticides should be used in roach killing.
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 spaces (e.g., basements and furnace rooms). During adult life, a period of about 1.5 years, the female drops 50 or more oothecae, each holding usually 16 eggs that hatch after 45 days. Nymphal life lasts from 11 to 14 months. The American cockroach, a native of tropical and subtropical America, has well-developed wings. However, many species are not usually gifted at flying.
The German cockroach (Blattella germanica), a common house pest and sometimes incorrectly referred to as a waterbug, is light brown with two dark stripes on the prothoracic area. The female deposits the ootheca three days after mating and carries it for around 20 days. Because it is small in size (about 12 mm [less than 0.5 inch] long), this cockroach frequently is carried into residences in grocery bags and boxes; it has gone across the world by ship. Three or more generations could breed yearly. This cockroach, found in abundance through the water pipes of the Croton Aqueduct in New York City, is known as the Croton bug.
The brown-banded cockroach (Supella supellectilium) closely resembles the German cockroach but is slightly smaller. The male possesses wholly developed wings and is brighter in hue than the female, whose wings are undeveloped and nonfunctional. Both sexes have two light-coloured bands over the back. The adult life span is generally around 200 days, and there can be two generations annually. Eggs are be dropped in clothes, wood molding, or cracks in the floor. With the advent of heated buildings this cockroach became established in cooler areas.
The Oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis) is considered one of the dirtiest 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 resembling that of the American cockroach. The male has short, fully developed wings, and the female has vestigial wings. This cockroach has been carried by vehicles of commerce from its Asiatic origins to all the temperate regions.
Wood roaches are wild pests. Parcoblatta pennsylvanica, the common wood cockroach, is found below logs and stones in northern latitudes. The male and female are so varied in appearance that they were first believed to be individual 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 digests wood with the aid of select protozoans in its digestive tract.
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