Abstract
Aspects of the life history of fungus-infected and uninfected German cockroaches, Blattella germanica (L.), were examined. Infected adult females showed a substantial reduction in number of eggs per oothecae, number of oothecae, and production of nymphs. Infected nymphs developed asynchronously and slowly (64 d) whereas uninfected nymphs developed synchronously in ca. 38 d. Life tables and age-specific survivorship curves were obtained for infected and uninfected B. germanica to estimate their potential fecundity and growth rates. The generation time of infected B. germanica was about 20% shorter than that of uninfected populations (100.4 d). Up to 74% more female offspring per female (mx) were produced by uninfectedv females than infected females. Cockroaches exposed to the fungus as first instars had a net reproductive rate (Ro) of 0.42 and an intrinsic rate of increase (rc) of 0.0103 compared with 184.61 and 0.0519, respectively, for uninfected B. germanica. The yeast-like fungus (Hyphomycetes: Deuteromycotina) shows potential for management of German cockroaches.
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