Abstract
Recent phylogenetic studies indicating that termites are eusocial cockroaches closely related to the genus Cryptocercus have generated fresh interest in wood-feeding Blattaria. Here we summarize the social biology of the wood-feeding genus Salganea (Blaberidae: Panesthiinae). As in Cryptocercus, Salganea exhibits long term, biparental care that includes the defense and feeding of young nymphs. Unlike Cryptocercus, however, Salganea is iteroparous: most studied species reproduce periodically over their lifetime. These divergent reproductive strategies are likely related to parental costs associated with their differing reproductive modes: Cryptocercus is oviparous, while Salganea is ovoviviparous. The pattern of parental investment associated with ovoviviparous reproduction may be one reason why Salganea and other ovoviviparous wood-feeding cockroach lineages did not evolve eusociality.
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