Cockroach

Cockroaches (or roaches[1][2][3]) are insects of the order Blattodea,

which also includes termites. About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 Cockroach
are associated with human habitats. Some species are well-known as Temporal range: 145–0 Ma
pests. PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K PgN
Cretaceous–recent
The cockroaches are an ancient group, with ancestors originating during
the Carboniferous period, some 300-350 million years ago. Those early
ancestors, however, lacked the internal ovipositors of modern roaches.
Cockroaches are somewhat generalized insects lacking special
adaptations (such as the sucking mouthparts of aphids and other true
bugs); they have chewing mouthparts and are likely among the most
primitive of living Neopteran insects. They are common and hardy
insects capable of tolerating a wide range of climates, from Arctic cold to
tropical heat. Tropical cockroaches are often much larger than temperate
species. Contrary to popular belief, extinct cockroach relatives
(Blattoptera) and 'roachoids' such as the Carboniferous Archimylacris
and the Permian Apthoroblattina were not as large as the biggest modern
species.

Some species, such as the gregarious German cockroach, have an

elaborate social structure involving common shelter, social dependence,
information transfer and kin recognition. Cockroaches have appeared in
human culture since classical antiquity. They are popularly depicted as
dirty pests, although the majority of species are inoffensive and live in a Common household cockroaches
wide range of habitats around the world. A) German cockroach
B) American cockroach
C) Australian cockroach
Contents D&E) Oriental cockroach (♀ & ♂)
Taxonomy and evolution Scientific classification
Description
Kingdom: Animalia
Distribution and habitat
Phylum: Arthropoda
Behavior
Collective decision-making Subphylum: Hexapoda
Social behavior Class: Insecta
Sounds
Superorder: Dictyoptera
Biology
Order: Blattodea
Digestive tract
Tracheae and breathing Families
Reproduction
Hardiness Anaplectidae
Blaberidae
Relationship with humans Blattidae
In research and education Corydiidae
As pests Cryptocercidae
Control Ectobiidae
 As food Lamproblattidae
In traditional and homeopathic medicine Nocticolidae
Conservation Tryonicidae

Cultural depictions
References
External links

Taxonomy and evolution

Cockroaches are members of the order Blattodea, which includes the
termites, a group of insects once thought to be separate from cockroaches.
Currently, 4,600 species and over 460 genera are described worldwide.[4][5]
The name "cockroach" comes from the Spanish word for cockroach,
cucaracha, transformed by 1620s English folk etymology into "cock" and
"roach".[6] The scientific name derives from the Latin blatta, "an insect that
shuns the light", which in classical Latin was applied not only to
cockroaches, but also to mantids.[7][8]

A 40- to 50-million-year-old Historically, the name Blattaria was used largely interchangeably with the
cockroach in Baltic amber (Eocene) name Blattodea, but whilst Blattaria was used to refer to 'true' cockroaches
exclusively, the Blattodea also includes the termites. The current catalogue
of world cockroach species uses the name Blattodea for the group.[4]
Another name, Blattoptera, is also sometimes used to refer to extinct cockroach relatives.[9] The earliest cockroach-
like fossils ("blattopterans" or "roachids") are from the Carboniferous period 320 million years ago, as are fossil
roachoid nymphs.[10][11][12]

According to one hypothesis, cockroaches were an ancient group of insects that arose during the Devonian
epoch.[13] Fossil roachoids that lived during that time differ from modern cockroaches in that they had long external
ovipositors and are the ancestors of mantises, as well as modern cockroaches. As the body, hind wings and
mouthparts are not preserved in fossils frequently, the relationship of these roachoids and modern cockroaches
remains disputed. The first fossils of modern cockroaches with internal ovipositors appeared in the early Cretaceous.
A recent phylogenetic analysis suggests that cockroaches originated at least in the Jurassic.[13] Common Mesozoic
stem-group cockroaches include the Blattulidae and Mesoblattinidae.

The evolutionary relationships of the Blattodea (cockroaches and termites) shown in the cladogram are based on
Eggleton, Beccaloni and Inward (2007).[14] The cockroach families Anaplectidae, Lamproblattidae, and Tryonicidae
are not shown but are placed within the superfamily Blattoidea. The cockroach families Corydiidae and Ectobiidae
were previously known as the Polyphagidae and Blattellidae.[15]
Dictyoptera Blattodea Blattoidea Termitoidea (termites)
Termitidae

Rhinotermitidae

Kalotermitidae

Archotermopsidae

Hodotermitidae
 Mastotermitidae

Cryptocercoidae Cryptocercidae (brown-

hooded cockroaches)

Blattoidae Blattidae(Oriental, American and other

cockroaches)

Blaberidae (giant cockroaches)

Blaberoidea Ectobiidae (part)

Ectobiidae (part)

Corydiidae (sand cockroaches, etc)

Corydioidea

Nocticolidae (cave cockroaches, etc)

Mantodea (mantises)

Termites were previously regarded as a separate order Isoptera to cockroaches. However, recent genetic evidence
strongly suggests that they evolved directly from 'true' cockroaches, and many authors now place them as an
"epifamily" of Blattodea.[14] This evidence supported a hypothesis suggested in 1934 that termites are closely related
to the wood-eating cockroaches (genus Cryptocercus). This hypothesis was originally based on similarity of the
symbiotic gut flagellates in termites regarded as living fossils and wood-eating cockroaches.[16] Additional evidence
emerged when F. A. McKittrick (1965) noted similar morphological characteristics between some termites and
cockroach nymphs.[17] The similarities among these cockroaches and termites have led some scientists to reclassify
termites as a single family, the Termitidae, within the order Blattodea.[14][18] Other scientists have taken a more
conservative approach, proposing to retain the termites as the Termitoidae, an epifamily within the order. Such a
measure preserves the classification of termites at family level and below.[19]

Description
Most species of cockroach are about the size of a thumbnail, but several species are larger. The world's heaviest
cockroach is the Australian giant burrowing cockroach Macropanesthia rhinoceros, which can reach 9 centimetres
(31 ⁄2 in) in length and weigh more than 30 grams (1 oz).[20] Comparable in size is the Central American giant
cockroach Blaberus giganteus.[21] The longest cockroach species is Megaloblatta longipennis, which can reach
97 mm (37 ⁄8 in) in length and 45 mm (13 ⁄4 in) across.[22] A Central and South American species, Megaloblatta
blaberoides, has the largest wingspan of up to 185 mm (71 ⁄4 in).[23]

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.[24]
 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; this protects the inner organs and
provides attachment to muscles. This external
exoskeleton 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; these lay as a shield on top of
the membranous hind wings, which are used in
flight. All four wings have branching longitudinal
Head of Periplaneta
veins, as well as multiple cross-veins.[25]
americana
Domino cockroach Therea The three pairs of legs are sturdy, with large coxae
petiveriana, normally found and five claws each.[25] They are attached to each
in India
of the three thoracic segments. Of these, the front legs are the shortest and the hind
legs the longest, providing the main propulsive power when the insect runs.[24] 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.[26][27]

The abdomen has ten segments, each having a pair of spiracles for respiration. In addition to the spiracles, the final
segment consists of 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, while females have spermatheca for storing sperm and an
ovipositor through which the oothecae are laid.[24]

Distribution and habitat

Cockroaches are abundant throughout the world and live in a wide range of environments, especially in the tropics
and subtropics.[28] Cockroaches can withstand extremely low temperatures, allowing them to live in the Arctic.
Some species are capable of surviving temperatures of −122 °C (−188 °F) by manufacturing an antifreeze made out
of glycerol.[29] In North America, 50 species separated into five families are found throughout the continent.[28] 450
species are found in Australia.[30] Only about four widespread species are commonly regarded as pests.[31][32]

Cockroaches occupy a wide range of habitats. Many live in leaf litter, among the stems of matted vegetation, in
rotting wood, in holes in stumps, in cavities under bark, under log piles and among debris. Some live in arid regions
and have developed mechanisms to survive without access to water sources. Others are aquatic, living near the
surface of water bodies, including bromeliad phytotelmata, and diving to forage for food. Most of these respire by
piercing the water surface with the tip of the abdomen which acts as a snorkel, but some carry a bubble of air under
their thoracic shield when they submerge. Others live in the forest canopy where they may be one of the main types
of invertebrate present. Here they may hide during the day in crevices, among dead leaves, in bird and insect nests or
among epiphytes, emerging at night to feed.[33]

Behavior
Cockroaches are social insects; a large number of species are either gregarious or inclined to aggregate, and a slightly
smaller number exhibit parental care.[34] It used to be thought that cockroaches aggregated because they were
reacting to environmental cues, but it is now believed that pheromones are involved in these behaviors. Some species
secrete these in their feces with gut microbial symbionts being involved, while others use glands located on their
mandibles. Pheromones produced by the cuticle may enable cockroaches to distinguish between different populations
of cockroach by odor. The behaviors involved have been studied in only a few species, but German cockroaches
leave fecal trails with an odor gradient.[34] Other cockroaches follow such trails to discover sources of food and
water, and where other cockroaches are hiding. Thus, cockroaches have emergent behavior, in which group or
swarm behavior emerges from a simple set of individual interactions.[35]
Daily rhythms may also be regulated by a complex set of hormonal controls of
which only a small subset have been understood. In 2005, the role of one of these
proteins, pigment dispersing factor (PDF), was isolated and found to be a key
mediator in the circadian rhythms of the cockroach.[36]

Pest species adapt readily to a variety of environments, but prefer warm conditions
found within buildings. Many tropical species prefer even warmer environments.
Cockroaches are mainly nocturnal[37] and run away when exposed to light. An
exception to this is the Asian cockroach, which flies mostly at night but is attracted
to brightly lit surfaces and pale colors.[38]

Collective decision-making A cockroach soon after

ecdysis
Gregarious cockroaches display collective decision-making when choosing food
sources. When a sufficient number of individuals (a "quorum") exploits a food
source, this signals to newcomer cockroaches that they should stay there longer rather than leave for elsewhere.[39]
Other mathematical models have been developed to explain aggregation dynamics and conspecific
recognition.[40][41]

Cooperation and competition are balanced in cockroach group decision-making behavior.[35]

Cockroaches appear to use just two pieces of information to decide where to go, namely how dark it is and how
many other cockroaches there are. A study used specially-scented roach-sized robots that seem real to the roaches to
demonstrate that once there are enough insects in a place to form a critical mass, the roaches accepted the collective
decision on where to hide, even if this was an unusually lit place.[42]

Social behavior

When reared in isolation, German cockroaches show behavior that is different from behavior when reared in a group.
In one study, isolated cockroaches were less likely to leave their shelters and explore, spent less time eating,
interacted less with conspecifics when exposed to them, and took longer to recognize receptive females. Because
these changes occurred in many contexts, the authors suggested them as constituting a behavioral syndrome. These
effects might have been due either to reduced metabolic and developmental rates in isolated individuals or the fact
that the isolated individuals had not had a training period to learn about what others were like via their antennae.[43]

Individual American cockroaches appear to have consistently different "personalities" regarding how they seek
shelter. In addition, group personality is not simply the sum of individual choices, but reflects conformity and
collective decision-making.[44][45]

The gregarious German and American cockroaches have elaborate social structure, chemical signalling, and "social
herd" characteristics. Lihoreau and his fellow researchers stated:[35]

The social biology of domiciliary cockroaches ... can be characterized by a common shelter, overlapping
generations, non-closure of groups, equal reproductive potential of group members, an absence of task
specialization, high levels of social dependence, central place foraging, social information transfer, kin
recognition, and a meta-population structure.[35]

There is evidence that a few species of group-living roaches in the genera Melyroidea and Aclavoidea may exhibit a
reproductive division of labor, which, if confirmed, would make these the only genuinely eusocial lineage known
among roaches, in contrast to the subsocial members of the genus Cryptocercus.[46]

Sounds
Some species make a buzzing noise while other cockroaches make a chirping noise. The Madagascar hissing
cockroach produces its sound through the modified spiracles on the fourth abdominal segment. Several different
hisses are produced, including disturbance sounds, produced by adults and larger nymphs; and aggressive, courtship
and copulatory sounds produced by adult males.[47] Henschoutedenia epilamproides has a stridulatory organ
between its thorax and abdomen, but the purpose of the sound produced is unclear.[48]

Several Australian species practice acoustic and vibration behaviour as an aspect of courtship. They have been
observed producing hisses and whistles from air forced through the spiracles. Furthermore, in the presence of a
potential mate, some cockroaches tap the substrate in a rhythmic, repetitive manner. Acoustic signals may be of
greater prevalence amongst perching species, particularly those that live on low vegetation in Australia's tropics.[49]

Biology

Digestive tract

Cockroaches are generally omnivorous; the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana), for example, feeds on a
great variety of foodstuffs including bread, fruit, leather, starch in book bindings, paper, glue, skin flakes, hair, dead
insects and soiled clothing.[50] Many species of cockroach harbor in their gut symbiotic protozoans and bacteria
which are able to digest cellulose. In many species, these symbionts may be essential if the insect is to utilize
cellulose; however, some species secrete cellulase in their saliva, and the wood-eating cockroach, Panesthia cribrata,
is able to survive indefinitely on a diet of crystallized cellulose while being free of microorganisms.[51]

The similarity of these symbionts in the genus Cryptocercus to those in termites are such that these cockroaches have
been suggested to be more closely related to termites than to other cockroaches,[52] and current research strongly
supports this hypothesis about their relationships.[53] All species studied so far carry the obligate mutualistic
endosymbiont bacterium Blattabacterium, with the exception of Nocticola, an Australian cave-dwelling genus
without eyes, pigment or wings, which recent genetic studies indicate is a very primitive cockroach.[54][55] It had
previously been thought that all five families of cockroach were descended from a common ancestor that was
infected with B. cuenoti. It may be that N. australiensis subsequently lost its symbionts, or alternatively this
hypothesis will need to be re-examined.[55]

Tracheae and breathing

Like other insects, cockroaches breathe through a system of tubes called tracheae which are attached to openings
called spiracles on all body segments. When the carbon dioxide level in the insect rises high enough, valves on the
spiracles open and carbon dioxide diffuses out and oxygen diffuses in. The tracheal system branches repeatedly, the
finest tracheoles bringing air directly to each cell, allowing gaseous exchange to take place.[56]

While cockroaches do not have lungs as do vertebrates, and can continue to respire if their heads are removed, in
some very large species, the body musculature may contract rhythmically to forcibly move air in and out of the
spiracles; this may be considered a form of breathing.[56]

Reproduction

Cockroaches use pheromones to attract mates, and the males practice courtship rituals, such as posturing and
stridulation. Like many insects, cockroaches mate facing away from each other with their genitalia in contact, and
copulation can be prolonged. A few species are known to be parthenogenetic, reproducing without the need for
males.[25]

Female cockroaches are sometimes seen carrying egg cases on the end of their abdomens; the German cockroach
holds about 30 to 40 long, thin eggs in a case called an ootheca. She drops the capsule prior to hatching, though live
births do occur in rare instances. The egg capsule may take more than five hours to lay and is initially bright white in
color. The eggs are hatched from the combined pressure of the hatchlings gulping air. The hatchlings are initially
bright white nymphs and continue inflating themselves with air, becoming harder and darker within about four hours.
Their transient white stage while hatching and later while molting has led to claims of albino cockroaches.[25]
Development from eggs to adults takes three to four months. Cockroaches live up to a year, and the female may
produce up to eight egg cases in a lifetime; in favorable conditions, she can produce 300 to 400 offspring. Other
species of cockroaches, however, can produce far more eggs; in some cases a female needs to be impregnated only
once to be able to lay eggs for the rest of her life.[25]

The female usually attaches the egg case to a substrate, inserts it into a suitably protective crevice, or carries it about
until just before the eggs hatch. Some species, however, are ovoviviparous, keeping the eggs inside their body, with
or without an egg case, until they hatch. At least one genus, Diploptera, is fully viviparous.[25]

Cockroaches have incomplete metamorphosis, meaning that the nymphs are generally similar to the adults, except for
undeveloped wings and genitalia. Development is generally slow, and may take a few months to over a year. The
adults are also long-lived; some have survived for as many as four years in the laboratory.[25]

Female
Periplaneta
3 millimeter fuliginosa with Empty ootheca
American
cockroach ootheca
nymph cockroach
oothecae

Hardiness

Cockroaches are among the hardiest insects. Some species are capable of remaining active for a month without food
and are able to survive on limited resources, such as the glue from the back of postage stamps.[57] Some can go
without air for 45 minutes. Japanese cockroach (Periplaneta japonica) nymphs, which hibernate in cold winters,
have survived twelve hours at −5 to −8 °C (23 to 18 °F) in laboratory experiments.[58]

Experiments on decapitated specimens of several species of cockroach found a variety of behavioral functionality
remained, including shock avoidance and escape behavior, although many insects other than cockroaches are also
able to survive decapitation, and popular claims of the longevity of headless cockroaches do not appear to be based
on published research.[59][60] The severed head is able to survive and wave its antennae for several hours, or longer
when refrigerated and given nutrients.[60]

It is popularly suggested that cockroaches will "inherit the earth" if humanity destroys itself in a nuclear war. While
cockroaches do, indeed, have a much higher radiation resistance than vertebrates, with a lethal dose perhaps six to 15
times that for humans, they are not exceptionally radiation-resistant compared to other insects, such as the fruit fly.[61]

The cockroach's ability to withstand radiation can be explained through the cell cycle. Cells are most vulnerable to
the effects of radiation while they are dividing. A cockroach's cells divide only once each time it molts (which is
weekly, at most, in a juvenile roach). Since not all cockroaches would be molting at the same time, many would be
unaffected by an acute burst of radiation, although lingering radioactive fallout would still be harmful.[56]

Relationship with humans

In research and education

Because of their ease of rearing and resilience, cockroaches have been used
as insect models in the laboratory, particularly in the fields of neurobiology,
reproductive physiology and social behavior.[34] The cockroach is a
convenient insect to study as it is large and simple to raise in a laboratory
environment. This makes it suitable both for research and for school and
undergraduate biology studies. It can be used in experiments on topics such
as learning, sexual pheromones, spatial orientation, aggression, activity
rhythms and the biological clock, and behavioral ecology.[62] Research
conducted in 2014 suggests that humans fear cockroaches the most, even Cockroaches in research:
more than mosquitoes, due to an evolutionary aversion.[63] Periplaneta americana in an
electrophysiology experiment

As pests

The Blattodea include some thirty species of cockroaches associated with humans; these species are atypical of the
thousands of species in the order.[64] They feed on human and pet food and can leave an offensive odor.[65] They
can passively transport pathogenic microbes on their body surfaces, particularly in environments such as
hospitals.[66][67] Cockroaches are linked with allergic reactions in humans.[68][69] One of the proteins that trigger
allergic reactions is tropomyosin.[70] These allergens are also linked with asthma.[71] About 60% of asthma patients
in Chicago are also sensitive to cockroach allergens. Studies similar to this have been done globally and all the results
are similar. Some species of cockroach can live for up to a month without food, so just because no cockroaches are
visible in a home does not mean that they are not there. Approximately 20–48% of homes with no visible sign of
cockroaches have detectable cockroach allergens in dust.[72]

On rare occasion cockroaches can crawl into human ears, causing pain and hearing loss.[73][74] They may be
removed with forceps, possibly after first drowning with olive oil.[75][76][77]

Control

Many remedies have been tried in the search for control of the major pest species of cockroaches, which are resilient
and fast-breeding. Household chemicals like sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) have been suggested, without
evidence for their effectiveness.[78] Garden herbs including bay, catnip, mint, cucumber, and garlic have been
proposed as repellents.[79] Poisoned bait containing hydramethylnon or fipronil, and boric acid powder is effective
on adults.[80] Baits with egg killers are also quite effective at reducing the cockroach population. Alternatively,
insecticides containing deltamethrin or pyrethrin are very effective.[80] In Singapore and Malaysia, taxi drivers use
pandan leaves to repel cockroaches in their vehicles.[81]

Some parasites and predators are effective for biological control of cockroaches. Parasitoidal wasps such as Ampulex
wasps sting nerve ganglia in the cockroach's thorax, causing temporary paralysis and allowing the wasp to deliver an
incapacitating sting into the cockroach's brain. The wasp clips the antennae with its mandibles and drinks some
hemolymph before dragging the prey to a burrow, where an egg (rarely two) is laid on it.[82] The wasp larva feeds on
the subdued living cockroach.[83][84] Another wasp considered to be a promising candidate for biological control is
the ensign wasp Evania appendigaster, which attacks cockroach oothecae to lay a single egg inside.[85][86] Ongoing
research is still developing technologies allowing for mass-rearing these wasps for application releases.[87][88]
Widow spiders commonly prey on cockroaches[89][90] though their venomous bite introduces its own problems for
humans and pets.

Cockroaches can be trapped in a deep, smooth-walled jar baited with food inside, placed so that cockroaches can
reach the opening, for example with a ramp of card or twigs on the outside. An inch or so of water or stale beer (by
itself a cockroach attractant) in the jar can be used to drown any insects thus captured. The method works well with
the American cockroach, but less so with the German cockroach.[91]

A study conducted by scientists at Purdue University concluded that the most common cockroaches in the US,
Australia and Europe were able to develop a “cross resistance” to multiple types of pesticide. This contradicted
previous understanding that the animals can develop resistance against one pesticide at a time.[92] The scientists
suggested that cockroaches will no longer be easily controlled using a diverse spectrum of chemical pesticides and
that a mix of other means, such as traps and better sanitation, will need to be employed.[92]

As food

Although considered disgusting in Western culture, cockroaches are eaten in many places around the world.[93][94]
Whereas household pest cockroaches may carry bacteria and viruses, cockroaches bred under laboratory conditions
can be used to prepare nutritious food.[95] In Mexico and Thailand, the heads and legs are removed, and the
remainder may be boiled, sautéed, grilled, dried or diced.[93] In China, cockroaches have become popular as
medicine and cockroach farming is rising with over 100 farms.[96]

The cockroaches are fried twice in a wok of hot oil, which makes them crispy with soft innards that are like cottage
cheese.[97][98] Fried cockroaches are ground and sold as pills for stomach, heart and liver diseases.[99] A cockroach
recipe from Formosa (Taiwan) specifies salting and frying cockroaches after removing the head and entrails.[100]

In traditional and homeopathic medicine

In China, cockroaches are raised in large quantities for medicinal purposes.[101]

Two species of cockroach were used in homeopathic medicine in the 19th century.[102]

Conservation

While a small minority of cockroaches are associated with human habitats and viewed as repugnant by many people,
a few species are of conservation concern. The Lord Howe Island wood-feeding cockroach (Panesthia lata) is listed
as endangered by the New South Wales Scientific Committee, but the cockroach may be extinct on Lord Howe
Island itself. The introduction of rats, the spread of Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) and fires are possible reasons for
their scarcity.[103] Two species are currently listed as endangered and critically endangered by the IUCN Red List,
Delosia ornata and Nocticola gerlachi.[104][105] Both cockroaches have a restricted distribution and are threatened
by habitat loss and rising sea levels. Only 600 Delosia ornata adults and 300 nymphs are known to exist, and these
are threatened by a hotel development. No action has been taken to save the two cockroach species, but protecting
their natural habitats may prevent their extinction. In the former Soviet Union, cockroach populations have been
declining at an alarming rate; this may be exaggerated, or the phenomenon may be temporary or cyclic.[106] One
species of roach, Simandoa conserfariam, is considered extinct in the wild.

Cultural depictions
Cockroaches were known and considered repellent but medicinally useful in
Classical times. An insect named in Greek "σίλφη" (silphe) has been
identified with the cockroach, though the scientific name Silpha refers to a
genus of carrion beetles. It is mentioned by Aristotle, saying that it sheds its
skin; it is described as foul-smelling in Aristophanes' play Peace; Euenus
called it a pest of book collections, being "page-eating, destructive, black-
bodied" in his Analect. Virgil named the cockroach "Lucifuga" ("one that
avoids light"). Pliny the Elder recorded the use of "Blatta" in various
medicines; he describes the insect as disgusting, and as seeking out dark
corners to avoid the light.[107][108] Dioscorides recorded the use of the Madagascar hissing cockroaches
"Silphe", ground up with oil, as a remedy for earache.[108] kept as pets

Lafcadio Hearn (1850–1904) asserted that "For tetanus cockroach tea is

given. I do not know how many cockroaches go to make up the cup; but I find that faith in this remedy is strong
among many of the American population of New Orleans. A poultice of boiled cockroaches is placed over the
wound." He adds that cockroaches are eaten, fried with garlic, for indigestion.[109]

Several cockroach species, such as Blaptica dubia, are raised as food for insectivorous pets.[110] A few cockroach
species are raised as pets, most commonly the giant Madagascar hissing cockroach, Gromphadorhina
portentosa.[111] Whilst the hissing cockroaches may be the most commonly kept species, there are many species that
are kept by cockroach enthusiasts; there is even a specialist society: the Blattodea Culture Group (BCG), which was
a thriving organisation for about 15 years although now appears to be dormant.[112] The BCG provided a source of
literature for people interested in rearing cockroaches which was otherwise limited to either scientific papers, or
general insect books, or books covering a variety of exotic pets; in the absence of an inclusive book one member
published Introduction to Rearing Cockroaches which still appears to be the only book dedicated to rearing
cockroaches.[113]

Cockroaches have been used for space tests. A cockroach given the name Nadezhda was sent into space by Russian
scientists as part of a Foton-M mission, during which she mated, and later became the first terrestrial animal to
produce offspring that had been conceived in space.[114]

Because of their long association with humans, cockroaches are frequently referred to in popular culture. In Western
culture, cockroaches are often depicted as dirty pests.[115][116] In a 1750–1752 journal, Peter Osbeck noted that
cockroaches were frequently seen and found their way to the bakeries, after the sailing ship Gothenburg ran aground
and was destroyed by rocks.[117]

Donald Harington's satirical novel The Cockroaches of Stay More (Harcourt, 1989) imagines a community of
"roosterroaches" in a mythical Ozark town where the insects are named after their human counterparts. Madonna has
famously quoted, "I am a survivor. I am like a cockroach, you just can't get rid of me."[118] An urban legend
maintains that cockroaches are immortal.[119]

References
1. Order Blattodea - BugGuide.net (https://bugguide.net/node/view/342386)
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External links
Cockroach Species File (http://Cockroach.SpeciesFile.org) Online world catalogue of cockroaches.
Cockroaches (http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/fasulo/vector/chapter_04.htm) chapter in United States
Environmental Protection Agency and UF/IFAS National Public Health Pesticide Applicator Training
Manual
Cockroach Studies journal (http://blattodea-culture-group.org/content/about-cockroach-studies)
(ISSN 1862-6491)

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