CHAPTER ELEVEN
COCKROACHES (BLATTARIA)
Outline
Introduction
Morphology
Life cycle
Medical importance
Control
Learning objective
At the end of this chapter, students will be able to:
List some of the best known species of cockroaches
Describe the morphology of cockroaches
Discuss the medical importance of cockroaches
Explain the life cycle of cockroaches
Describe the control mechanisms of cockroaches
Introduction
Belong to suborder Blattaria & order Dictyoptera
4,400 species known, 500 genera (17 species pests of
varying degree)
are five cockroach families, three of which include most of the
pest species: Blattidae, Blattellidae, and Blaberidae
Cocroaches are sometimes called as roaches or steambugs
Cockroaches (or simply "roaches") are insects of the order
Blattaria. This name derives from the Latin word for
"cockroach", blatta.
Cockroaches...
Among the best-known pest species are the:
American cockroach, Periplaneta americana,,
German cockroach, Blattella germanica,
Asian cockroach, Blattella asahinai,
Oriental cockroach, Blatta orientalis,
Cockroaches...
The Tropical cockroaches are often much bigger, and
extinct cockroach relatives such as the Carboniferous
Archimylacris and the Permian Apthoroblattina were
several times as large as these.
Morphology:
Flattened dorsoventrally
Smooth, shiny and tough integument
Head appears small dorsally & sometimes may not be seen
(hidden by large, rounded pronotum)
A pair of long & prominent filiform antennae arise from the
front of the head between the eyes
Mouth parts are developed for chewing, gnawing and
scraping ( no piercing stylets & hence they can not suck
blood)
Morphology…
Two pairs of wings (in most species those in female is
shorter than in males)
Fore wings are thickened & leathery and are called
tegmina (not used for flight; protective covers for the hind
wings) = closed scissors
Hind wings are membraneous (can be used for flight) but
they rarely fly in temperate climates
3 pairs of legs covered with prominent small spines and
bristles
Morphology…
Oval segmented abdomen (in both sexes a pair of
prominent segmented pilose cerci arise from the last
abdominal segment)
Life cycle
Cocroaches like warmth & during the day they hide away
behind radiators and hot – water pipes
They are nocturnal in habit and are rarely seen during the
day unless they are disturbed
They are omniverous and voracious feeders, any type of
food (paper, hair, excreta, shoes, cloth, dead insects,
vegetables, ...) is eaten.
They can live without water for 5 – 10 weeks and for
many months without food.
Life cycle...
Eggs laid encased in a brown bean – shaped case or
capsule called an ootheca.
Cocroaches have a hemimetabolous life cycle
Nymphs (wingless or undeveloped) hatch from the eggs
Young nymphs are very pale and delicate versions of the
adults
Older ones are progressively darker and resemble the
adults more
Usually 6 nymphal instars (P. Americana as many as 13 )
Cockroach nymph
American cockroach
Medical importance
Mechanical vectors
Pathogenic viruses (e.g. Poliomyelitis)
Protozoa (e.g. G. Intestinalis, B. Coli)
Nematodes (e.g. E. Vermicularis)
Bacteria (e.g. S. Aureus, K. Pneumonia)
Intermediate host
Allergy to cockroach or dried fecal pellets
Control
Insecticidal spraying
Dusting selected sites
Lacquers and varnishes containing residual insecticides
such as 1% cypermethrin painted on to walls.
Insect Growth Regulators
Summary
Belong to suborder Blattaria & order Dictyoptera
American, German, Asian and Oriental cockroaches are
among the best-known pest species.
Body is flattened dorsoventrally with smooth, shiny and
tough integument
They are nocturnal in habit
They are omniverous and voracious feeders
Usually have nymphal instars
They are mechanical vectors for different pathogens
Rererences
1. Cockroach – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Htm
2. A. Ibrahim, U. Geme, T. Melaku and G. Jigssa, Lecture
note on vector biology for Medical Laboratory Technology
students, AAU, 2004
3. www. cdc.gov.
