File: <blattariakey.htm> <Medical Index> <General Index> Site Description Glossary <Navigate to Home>

Insecta

BLATTARIA KEY

(Contact)

Please CLICK on picture and underlined links to view images or to navigate within the key:

To Search for Subject Matter use Ctrl/F

[Also See: <Orthoptera Details>]

There are five common cockroach species, which have been considered more or less domesticated. These are Blatta orientalis L. (oriental cockroach), Periplaneta americana L. (American cockroach), Periplaneta australasiae Fab. (Australian cockroach), Blatella germanica (German cockroach) and Supella supellectilium Serv. (brown-banded cockroach). [Also see: Order Blattaria in Orthoptera Details].

The following key should facilitate separation of these species:

Blatta orientalis

1. The male tegmina does not extend to the end of the abdomen and covers only 2/3rds of it. In the female the tegmina occurs as small pads. A small species about 1-inch long, almost black and with any special markings (Fig. 1) - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

2

The tegmina in both sexes extends beyond the length of the abdomen. In case it does not cover the abdomen it is marked by two light-colored bands located at the wing base and the other about 1/3rd the length from the base. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

3

2. The specimen is usually not more than 1/2 inch long - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

4

The length is more than 1 inch - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Blatella germanica

3. Specimen is pale brown with two parallel dark stripes on the pronotum (Fig. 1) - -

Supella supellectilium

The color is dark brown with two pale bands near the tegmina base, one at the base and another 1/3rd of the length from the base - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Periplaneta americana

4. The thorax is yellow with two medium brown markings. Tegmina lacks a yellow submarginal stripe along its basal third. :ength varies from 1.5 to 2 inches (Fig. 1) - -

Periplaneta australasiae

The thorax is yellow and has two central black spots along its base. The tegmina has a light yellow submarginal stripe along its basal 1/3rd. Length usually one inch.

Key References: <medvet.ref.htm> <Hexapoda>

Laing, F. 1938. The cockroach. Bull. Mus. Nat. Hist. Econ. Ser. 12.

Matheson, R. 1950. Medical Entomology. Comstock Publ. Co, Inc. 610 p.

Service, M. 2008. Medical Entomology For Students. Cambridge Univ. Press. 289 p

Legner, E. F. 1995. Biological control of Diptera of medical and veterinary importance. J. Vector Ecology 20(1): 59-120.

Legner, E. F.. 2000. Biological control of aquatic Diptera. p. 847-870. Contributions to a Manual of Palaearctic Diptera,

Vol. 1, Science Herald, Budapest. 978 p.