OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT COCKROACHES
Cockroaches are generalized insects, with few special
adaptations, and may be among the most primitive living Neopteran insects. They have a
relatively small head and a broad, flattened body, and most species are
reddish-brown to dark brown. They have large compound eyes,
two ocelli, and long, flexible antennae.
The mouthparts are on the underside of the
head and include generalized chewing mandibles, salivary glands and
various touch and taste receptors.
Most species of cockroach are about the size of
a thumbnail, but several species are bigger. The world's heaviest cockroach is
the Australian giant burrowing cockroach Macropanesthia rhinoceros, which can reach 9 cm (3.5 in) in length and
weigh more than 30 g (1.1 oz). Comparable in size
is the Central American giant cockroach Blaberus giganteus. The
longest cockroach species is Megaloblatta
longipennis, which can reach 97 mm (3.8 in) in length and
45 mm (1.8 in) across. A Central and South American
species, Megaloblatta
blaberoides, has the largest wingspan of up to 185 mm (7.3 in).
Periplaneta americana
The body is divided into a thorax of three segments and a
ten-segmented abdomen. The external surface has a tough exoskeleton which
contains calcium carbonate and protects the inner
organs and provides attachment to muscles. It is coated with wax to repel
water. The wings are attached to the second and third thoracic segments.
The tegmina,
or first pair of wings, are tough and protective, lying as a shield on top of
the membranous hind wings, which are used in flight. All four wings have
branching longitudinal veins, and multiple cross-veins.
The
three pairs of legs are sturdy, with large coxae and
five claws each. They are attached to each of the three thoracic segments. The
front legs are the shortest and the hind legs the longest, providing the main
propulsive power when the insect runs. The spines on the legs were earlier
considered to be sensory, but observations of the insect's gait on sand and
wire meshes have demonstrated that they help in locomotion on difficult
terrain. The structures have been used as inspiration for robotic legs.
The
abdomen has ten segments, each with a pair of spiracles for respiration. Segment ten
bears a pair of cerci, a pair of anal styles, the anus and the external
genitalia. Males have an aedeagus through which they secrete sperm during
copulation and females have spermatheca for
storing sperm and an ovipositor through which the ootheca are
laid.
Indian Domino Cockroach
🔥🔥good
ReplyDelete