Three new species of Scalida (Blattodea: Blattellidae) from Yunnan, China.

Three new Scalida species from Yunnan are reported: Scalida hamata Qiao & Che sp. nov., Scalida spinosa Qiao & Che sp. nov., Scalida ramiformis Qiao & Che sp. nov.. Morphological descriptions of the new species, including the male genitalia, are provided along with detailed photographs. A list and a key to species of Scalida in the world are provided.

Discovery of cockroach specimens of the genus Squamoptera (Ectobiidae: Pseudophyllodromiinae) from Okinawa, Japan, showing wing polymorphism.

Cockroach specimens of the genus, Squamoptera were collected from the Iriomote island of Okinawa prefecture, Japan. The morphological features of the specimens were characterized as having a white band on the dorsal surface of its thorax, its tegmen reduced into a tiny scale-like structure and the hindwing was absent. Ocelli was also absent and the small compound eyes not extending to apex of the head nor to the frontal face but extend further lower than the base of the antennae. When the specimens were reared in the laboratory, besides the short wing form, the long wing form began to appear in the rearing colony. In our reproductive biological study, we observed that hatching of the ootheca from the short wing female takes about 30 days, with an average of 6.6 nymphs being hatched from one ootheca. The male to female ratio of the offspring was 36:30. However, the frequency appearance of the offspring from the ootheca of the short wing female was 98.5% short wing and 1.5% long wing form. Our specimens occasionally show body polymorphism in the form of individuals having long wings instead of the usual short one. The long wing form does not show the white band on the dorsal surface of its thorax.

Revision of the genus Dziriblatta/ Chopard, 1936 (Blattodea, Ectobiidae, Ectobiinae). III. The species of the subgenus Dziriblatta/.

The present paper is the third part of a revision of the genus Dziriblatta and treats the nominal subgenus Dziriblatta and its species. The subgenus contains 10 species of which 8 are new to science. The species can be distributed to two species groups: the bolivari-species group with Dz. (Dz.) algerica, Dz. (Dz.) bolivari, Dz. (Dz.) brevisacculata, spec. nov., Dz. (Dz.) curvisetosa, spec. nov., and Dz. (Dz.) pilleata, spec. nov.-and the lobososacculata-species group with Dz. (Dz.) altotuberculata, spec. nov., Dz. (Dz.) lobososacculata, spec. nov., Dz. (Dz.) planotuberculata, spec. nov., Dz. (Dz.) ramososacculata, spec. nov., and Dz. (Dz.) undulata, spec. nov.. The descriptions of the species are complemented by numerous images showing their most important structures, their distribution in southern Spain and Morocco, and their supposed phylogenetic relationships. A determination key allows the discrimination of the males.

Species diversity revealed in Sigmella Hebard, 1929 (Blattodea, ectobiidae) based on morphology and four molecular species delimitation methods.

Cockroaches are one of the major decomposers involved in biogeochemical cycles. Cockroaches have an amazing amount of diversity, but most of them remain unknown due to the shortage of the trained taxonomists and the limitations of morphology-based identification. We obtained 49 COI sequences (including 42 novel sequences) and 32 novel 28S sequences for 5 Sigmella morphospecies collected from 11 localities. Three are new to science: Sigmella digitalis sp. nov., Sigmella exserta sp. nov. and Sigmella normalis sp. nov. Based on four species delimitation methods (ABGD, GMYC, BINs and bPTP), a total of 6 molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) were recovered for 5 morphospecies. These were then confirmed by tree building methods using COI and combined data (COI and 28S). We detected more than one MOTU in the morphospecies S. digitalis sp. nov., which can indicate genetic diversity. Detailed morphological evidence for each MOTU is provided to confirm these slight variations and we conclude that natural barriers are likely the main cause of genetic diversity.

Instar Determination of Blattella asahinai (Blattodea: Ectobiidae) From Digital Measurements of the Pronotum Using Gaussian Mixture Modeling and the Number of Cercal Annuli.

The Asian cockroach, Blattella asahinai Mizukubo, has expanded its range throughout the southeastern United States since its introduction into Florida. Unlike its closest relative, the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.), B. asahinai lives outdoors and can fly. There is little information on the biology and development of B. asahinai, including the number of instars during nymphal development. To estimate the number of instars of B. asahinai, nymphs were photographed, sexed, and the lengths and widths of their pronota were measured digitally. The number of instars of B. asahinai was estimated using Gaussian mixture models with the pronotal data. The most probable model and its clusters were selected to assign individuals to an instar. Instars were also determined by counting the number of cercal annuli of nymphs. Both clustering and cercal annuli indicated that B. asahinai most frequently had six instars when reared at 30°C. Growth did not strictly follow the Brooks-Dyar Rule, because nymphs had different numbers of instars and different growth patterns. Although Gaussian mixture models are not efficient for field sampling experiments, digital measurements may provide a way to estimate instars with live specimens in development studies without handling the animals in a way that may alter growth.

Behavioral and Morphological Studies of the Membranous Tergal Structure of Male Blattella germanica (Blattodea: Ectobiidae) During Courtship.

The male German cockroach Blattella germanica (L.) exhibits a characteristic courtship display by raising its wings, turning around, and exposing its tergal glands on the seventh and eighth tergites to the female. The male secretes a courtship pheromone from the tergal glands which induces a strong feeding response in the female, facilitating copulation. Upon multiple, detailed microscopic observations of the courtship display, we found that the male markedly expanded the intersegmental area between the sixth and seventh tergites, but deflated this area as soon as it perceived a tactile stimulus on its back by the female, while continuing to raise its wings and exposing the tergal glands. The intersegmental area is composed of two parts: a membranous posterior part of the sixth tergite, and the regular intertergal membrane. The membranous posterior part was found to be crescentic in shape and clearly separated from the intertergal membrane by traverse tongue-shaped plates. Scanning electron microscopic observation revealed that there were many orifices or pores in the membranous crescentic zone, and its morphological structure was clearly different from that of the intertergal membrane. Our observations suggest that the crescentic zone is likely a secretory gland that may play an important role at the beginning of the male courtship display, different from the tergal glands.

An annotated checklist and key to the Bulgarian cockroaches (Dictyoptera: Blattodea).

An annotated checklist of the Bulgarian species of cockroaches is prepared based on a full published scientific record and own unpublished data. According to the current state of knowledge the Bulgarian cockroach fauna includes 17 species and subspecies. One synonymization is established-Phyllodromica marginata erythronota Br. v. W., syn. n. = Ph. marginata. Two species (Capraiellus tamaninii and Supella longipalpa) are recorded for the first time for this country and other three (Ectobius punctatissimus, Phyllodromica subaptera and Phyllodromica pallida) are eliminated from the list of the Bulgarian fauna. The list is complemented with maps and full locality data and a dichotomic identification key for the studied taxa is presented.

A taxonomic report on the cockroach genus Haplosymploce Hanitsch from China including one new species (Blattodea: Ectobiidae: Blattellinae).

The cockroach genus Haplosymploce Hanitsch is recorded from China for the first time with two species: H. andamanica (Princis, 1951) from Yunnan which was originally recorded from Andaman, and H. aurantiaca sp. n. from Hainan, a phototactic species remarkable by the orangish yellow cerci, it is very likely to be a wood-feeding species and thus, along with the genus, stands out among Ectobiidae (=Blattellidae). Male of both and female of H. aurantiaca sp. n. are described, illustrated and photographed; the female genitalia of the new species show a high degree of asymmetry. Photos of H. aurantiaca sp. n. in the wild are provided, as well as a key to the males of 8 out of 11 known species worldwide.

Contribution to the knowledge of Lanta Hebard, 1921, with remarks on some male genital characters (Blattaria, Ectobiidae).

The genus Lanta Hebard 1921 includes three species found in the Neotropical region. Two species are known from Argentina, L. peniculiger (province of Santa Fe), and L. scotia (provinces of Córdoba and Santiago del Estero) (see Crespo et al. 2010), and one from Brazil, L. borgesae, (Araras, São Paulo) (Rocha e Silva & Vasconcellos, 1984). All species have been described on the basis of male external characters, such as wing veins, leg spines, hypandrium, shape and position of the styli, in addition to coloration and size. Except for a partial representation of the male genitalia of L. borgesae (Rocha e Silva & Vasconcellos 1984), this structure went untreated in morphological and phylogenetic investigations of the Blattaria (Snodgrass 1937; McKittrick 1964; Grandcolas 1996; Klass 1997; Roth 2003;). Females remain unknown.

Effect of exposure to chlorpyrifos on the cuticular and internal lipid composition of Blattella germanica males.

The results of our research on the cuticular and internal lipids of Blattella germanica males provide new information on variation in the composition of the cuticular and internal lipids of B. germanica males after exposure to the presence of the insecticide. gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses were used to identify and quantify the cuticular and internal lipid composition in males and males exposed to insecticide. There were significantly more acids having an even number of carbon atoms in the molecule, and these were also generally in higher concentrations. The following acids were in a higher concentration: C16:0 and C18:1, C18:2, C18:0. In both males and males exposed to insecticide, 24 fatty acids ranging from C6 to C22 were determined. However, there was a significantly higher content of fatty acids in the surface lipids of B. germanica males after exposure to insecticide. Our results indicate a higher content of n-alkanes, sterols, particularly cholesterol, fatty acids, and fatty acid methyl esters in the B. germanica surface after exposure to chlorpyrifos than in males that were not exposed.

Four new and three redescribed species of the cockroach genus Margattea Shelford, 1911 (Blattodea, Ectobiidae, Pseudophyllodromiinae) from China.

Four new species of Margattea Shelford from China are described: M. angusta sp. n., M. flexa sp. n., M. spinosa sp. n. and M. pseudolimbata sp. n.. Male genitalia are illustrated. M. limbata and M. hemiptera are redescribed and illustrated based on types. M. bisignata is described in detail for the first time. A key to Margattea spp. from China and photographs of M. mckittrickae and M. spinifera in nature are provided.

One new species in the cockroach genus Jacobsonina Hebard 1929 (Blattodea, Ectobiidae, Blattellinae) from Mainland China.

One new species of Jacobsonina Hebard from China is described and illustrated: Jacobsonina erebis sp. nov.. A key to all known species in this genus, except for J. lugubris (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1893), based on males, is provided. 

A cockroach that jumps.

We report on a newly discovered cockroach (Saltoblattella montistabularis) from South Africa, which jumps and therefore differs from all other extant cockroaches that have a scuttling locomotion. In its natural shrubland habitat, jumping and hopping accounted for 71 per cent of locomotory activity. Jumps are powered by rapid and synchronous extension of the hind legs that are twice the length of the other legs and make up 10 per cent of the body weight. In high-speed images of the best jumps the body was accelerated in 10 ms to a take-off velocity of 2.1 m s(-1) so that the cockroach experienced the equivalent of 23 times gravity while leaping a forward distance of 48 times its body length. Such jumps required 38 µJ of energy, a power output of 3.4 mW and exerted a ground reaction force through both hind legs of 4 mN. The large hind legs have grooved femora into which the tibiae engage fully in advance of a jump, and have resilin, an elastic protein, at the femoro-tibial joint. The extensor tibiae muscles contracted for 224 ms before the hind legs moved, indicating that energy must be stored and then released suddenly in a catapult action to propel a jump. Overall, the jumping mechanisms and anatomical features show remarkable convergence with those of grasshoppers with whom they share their habitat and which they rival in jumping performance.

A new species of Neoblattella Shelford (Blattellidae: Pseudophyllodromiinae) from Amazonas State, Brazil.

Neoblattella mista sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on male genitalia and morphological characters of a single specimen collected in the town of Coari, State of Amazonas, Brazil. By studying the literature on the genus, we determined that N. mista sp. nov. differs from the other four known complexes in the morphology of its genital structures, including the supra-anal plate, subgenital plate, right and left phallomeres, median genital sclerite and tergal modification in the abdomen, and is placed in the new "mista complex".

A new species of Neoblattella Shelford (Blattellidae: Pseudophyllodromiinae) from Amazonas State, Brazil

Neoblattella mista sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on male genitalia and morphological characters of a single specimen collected in the town of Coari, State of Amazonas, Brazil. By studying the literature on the genus, we determined that N. mista sp. nov. differs from the other four known complexes in the morphology of its genital structures, including the supra-anal plate, subgenital plate, right and left phallomeres, median genital sclerite and tergal modification in the abdomen, and is placed in the new "mista complex".

Differential inputs from chemosensory appendages mediate feeding responses to glucose in wild-type and glucose-averse German cockroaches, Blattella germanica.

Glucose is a universal phagostimulant in many animal species, including the cockroach Blattella germanica. However, some natural populations of B. germanica have been found that are behaviorally deterred from eating glucose. In dose-response studies, glucose was a powerful phagostimulant for wild-type cockroaches, but it strongly deterred feeding in a glucose-averse strain. Both strains, however, exhibited identical dose-response curves to other phagostimulants and deterrents. As a lead to electrophysiological and molecular genetics studies to investigate the mechanisms that underlie glucose-aversion, we used 2 assay paradigms to delineate which chemosensory appendages on the head contribute to the reception of various phagostimulatory and deterrent chemicals. Both simultaneous dual stimulation of the antenna and mouthparts of the insects and 2-choice preference tests in surgically manipulated insects showed that the glucose-averse behavior could be elicited through the gustatory systems of the antennae and mouthparts. The paraglossae alone were sufficient for maximum sensitivity to both phagostimulants and deterrents, including glucose as a deterrent in the glucose-averse strain. In addition to the paraglossae, the labial palps were more important than the maxillary palps in the reception of deterrents (caffeine in both strains and glucose in the glucose-averse strain). The maxillary palps, on the other hand, played a more important role in the reception of phagostimulants (fructose in both strains and glucose in the wild-type strain). Our results suggest that distinct inputs from the chemosensory system mediate opposite feeding responses to glucose in the wild-type and glucose-averse strains.

Espécie nova de Ischnoptera Burmeister, 1838 do Brasil (Blattaria: Blattellidae: Blattellinae) / New species of Ischnoptera Burmeister, 1838 from Brazil (Blattaria: Blattellidae: Blattellinae)

Uma espécie nova de Ischnoptera Burmeister do Brasil é descrita. Ilustrações do habitus do macho, e da genitália do macho e fêmea são apresentadas.

A new species of Ischnoptera Burmeister from Brazil is described. Illustrations of the male habitus, and male and female genitalia are presented.

The structural basis for water exchange between the female cockroach (Blattella germanica) and her ootheca.

Female German cockroaches usually carry their oothecae until they hatch. The success of embryogenesis may be dependent on the water-balance relationship between females and their developing oothecae. Oothecae detached from females early in embryogenesis often fail to develop, especially in low-humidity environments. Experiments reported here using tritiated water have confirmed the transport of a significant amount of water to the ootheca from the female during embryogenesis; 18% of the tritiated water injected into gravid females was recovered in their oothecae after 24 h. We describe a structural basis of water absorption by the oothecae. An area located on the proximal end of the ootheca (adjacent to the 'escutcheon-shaped vaginal imprint') contains small pores that penetrate the oothecal covering to access regions of the chorion lying beneath these pores. Experiments using microparabiotic chambers to examine transport of tritiated water and water-soluble materials across the escutcheon region of the oothecal covering, along with dark-field birefringent microscopy of the chorion, support the hypothesis that this chorionic network is capable of conducting water throughout the interior of the ootheca. Furthermore, the structural arrangement and intimate association of the female vestibulum with the oothecal pore field contained in the region of the escutcheon-shaped vaginal imprint appear to provide an efficient conduit to the chorion. The overall structural relationship might be a means for maintaining water balance between females and their oothecae during embryonic development. Evidence presented here supports observations that this species represents an important link in the transition from oviparity to ovoviviparity by internalization of cockroach oothecae.