The word cockroach is stemmed from the Spanish cucaracha. The cockroach is characterizable by a flat oval body, long threadlike antennae, and a shiny black or brown leathery integument. The head is directed downward, and the mouthparts are aimed backward instead of forward or downward as is the case of the majority of other insects. The male often has two pairs of wings, but the female, who in some species, is wingless or appears with vestigial wings. The female generates eggs in egg cases (called oothecae). These are occasionally held protruding from her body or could be stuck in protected places. After the female produces an egg case, the soft, white nymphs emerge. As their exoskeleton toughens, it turns brown in shade. The form and big size (particular species demonstrate a wingspan measurement of upwards of 12 cm [4.7 inches]) of cockroaches have made them a significant objective in the biological laboratory.
The cockroach prefers a warm, humid, dark living habitat and is more often than not found thriving in tropical or other mild areas. Just a small number species have become pests. The insect inflicts damage on more material than it digests and has a unpleasant odour. The diet of the roach, which can be both plant and animal produce, goes from food, paper, clothing, and books to dead insects, especially bedbugs. Insecticides are utilized in roach killing.
The American cockroach (species Periplaneta americana) is 30 to 50 mm long (up to about 2 inches), reddish brown, and lives outdoors or in dark, heated indoor areas (e.g., basements and furnace rooms). During adult life, usually about 1.5 years, the female deposits 50 or more oothecae, each possessing around 16 eggs that hatch after 45 days. Nymphal life goes from 11 to 14 months. The American cockroach, a native of tropical and subtropical America, possesses well-developed wings. However, most species are unlikely to be good at flying.
The German cockroach (Blattella germanica), a common house pest and occasionally erroneously called a waterbug, is light brown with two dark stripes on the prothoracic area. The female produces the ootheca three days after mating and carries it for generally about 20 days. Because it is tiny in size (about 12 mm [less than 0.5 inch] long), this cockroach often is carried into houses in grocery bags and boxes; it has been spread between nations by ship. Three or more generations may live yearly. This cockroach, abundant in the water pipes of the Croton Aqueduct in New York City, is commonly known as the Croton bug.
The brown-banded cockroach (Supella supellectilium) is similar to the German cockroach but is slightly smaller. The male has fully developed wings and is brighter in shade than the female, whose wings are short and nonfunctional. Both sexes have two light-coloured bands along the back. The adult life span is about 200 days, and there may be two generations a year. Eggs are 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 thought of as 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 possesses short, fully developed wings, while the female has vestigial wings. This cockroach has been carried by vehicles of commerce from its Asiatic origins to almost every temperate regions.
Wood roaches are not domestic pests. Parcoblatta pennsylvanica, the common wood cockroach, is found beneath logs and stones in northern latitudes. The male and female are so differing in appearance that they were first thought to be separate 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 has much shorter wings. Cryptocercus punctulatus eats wood with the aid of certain protozoans in its digestive tract.
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