Black cockroaches

Sometimes in the apartment you can find a large wingless black insect. His appearance is scary, but it's just a black cockroach - previously an ordinary inhabitant in a person’s dwelling.

Origin

This species of large insects originally arose in the southern regions of Eurasia: Crimea, the Caspian lowland, in the Black Sea region. The cockroach is rather slow and not can fly. Such qualities restrained its distribution throughout the continent. But sufficiently developed cultural ties and wars that swept through these places contributed to the conquest of the entire continent by the cockroach.

Interesting!

The pest entered Kazakhstan, thanks to the Great Silk Road and the Mongol-Tatar invasion. In Europe, he found himself after the Greek and ancient Roman conquests of the habitats of these insects. He came to North America with comfort: on ships.

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Black domestic cockroaches in different countries often bear quite original names:

• "Water bug" in English-speaking countries;
• The "palm bug" is often in the United States, Florida, but this large black cockroach is simply confused with forest Florida;
• “Black bug”, at least the logic is clear here;
• "Eastern cockroach" in English-speaking countries, tracing paper from the Latin name of this insect;
• black Russian cockroach in European countries, there is logic too, until the Prusak black cockroaches lived behind stoves in Russian huts.

The Latin name for the insect is Blatta orientalis from the cockroach squad, which includes the Blattidae family. The genus Blatta includes three species:

• Oriental;
• Turkestan/ red runner;
• Furkat Blatt.

The latter is crossed with a black eastern cockroach and the taxonomy of the genus can be revised, having reduced to 2 species.

Appearance

Compared to the tropical species of black cockroaches, you cannot call huge. Their size is only 2 - 3 cm. The Latin word "blatta", which gave the name to the genus, means "slightly shiny insects." This well describes the appearance of the family. The body of a black cockroach is covered with a brilliant chitinous shell. Color varies from dark brown to black.

When looking at photos of black cockroaches, sex differences are striking. In females, wings are completely absent. The wings of males are rather decorative in nature and cover only half of the abdomen.

Building Blatta orientalis

External structure the insect is the same as in most other species of the cockroach squad. The body of a black cockroach consists of 3 departments:

• headache;
• breast;
• abdominal.

The head looks like an irregular oval with a wider occipital part. Partially, the head is hidden under the dorsum of the pronotum. Only the upper part is visible from above. On the sides of the head are 2 complex faceted eyes. On the front surface are attached 2 antennae. Between the mustache are 2 simple eyes. The mouth apparatus is gnawing.

Part oral apparatus includes:

• upper and lower lips;
• maxillary and mandibular tentacles;
• upper and lower jaws - mandibles;
• tongue.

On a note!

The insect uses its stings for grinding organics. Neither of species of cockroaches not openly aggressive and does not bite.But if you leave a large insect on your hand for a long time, it will begin to scratch your skin, trying to bite off a piece.

The thoracic region is covered with a shiny chitin shield from above. Under the shield, the chest is divided into 3 segments. A pair is attached to each segment. walking legs. The male also has wings attached to the first segment. At the female, only rudiments remained from the wings.

The abdominal section consists of 10 segments. There are no extremities on the abdomen. Only to the last segment are attached cerci, which play the same role as the antennae on the front end of the cockroach's body. The abdomen of a female is wider and more voluminous than that of a male.

The internal structure of the black cockroach is the same as that of red prusak and includes:

• digestive tract;
• cardiovascular system;
• nervous system;
• excretory system;
• reproductive organs.

Primitiveness of the nervous system allows pests to create an appearance life after beheading.

Lifestyle

A black cockroach is a southern insect that does not tolerate severe cold. The optimum temperature for his life is 20 - 29 ° C. His expansion around the world was helped by a man who also prefers to live in a warm house. For this reason, the existence of orientalis blatt in the northern regions is possible only in close symbiosis with humans. The pest prefers dark places with high humidity. For this reason, its usual habitats are sewer communications and heated damp basements. In relatively wild conditions, this species can be found in mines and greenhouses.

On a note!

Pests are nocturnal and rarely come across people.

Life cycle

The formation of the capsule, which is called the oteka, in the female begins one day after mating. One ooteca contains 16 to 18 eggs. The female drops the capsule one day after formation. Further, the development of nymphs occurs without the participation of the parent.

Interesting!

Weakly developed offspring care is the reason why the eastern cockroach loses the war for survival to the smaller Prusak. The latter eat the abandoned ootics of competitors.

Also, the causes of the extinction of black cockroaches are a small number eggs in one capsule and a long development time of nymphs.

Emerged from an egg nymph It becomes sexually mature only after a year, having survived 7 links. The imago lives up to 6 months and manages to set aside 8 capsules.

Feed base

Like most synanthropic insect species, southern cockroaches are omnivores. Their only difference from the Prussians: they are not so arrogant. But if the Prussians gladly eat fresh food, then black is attracted to rotting organic matter.

Harm

Inhabited in sewer pipes, this species clings to the paws anything: from bacteria to eggs of worms. Running around the house for foods intended for food, he leaves harmful microorganisms on food. Like the Prusak black cockroach carries intestinal diseases. The insect is not able to cause any other harm to humans.

Other types of black cockroaches

There are almost none. There are certain color variations from brown to black.

The only exception is the black round cockroach from the turtle cockroach family. The family received the name for the body shape of its representatives.

Therea petiveriana hails from South India and bears several other names:

• deserted;
• seven point;
• Indian cockroach dominoes.

The insect has a characteristic black shell color with 7 large white dots. Scientists believe that this is mimicry under the ground beetle Anthia sexguttata.