Cockroach Genus Research Articles

A new species of the Genus Margattea (Blattodea: Pseudophyllodromiidae) from Yonaguni-jima Island, the Ryukyus, Japan

A new species of the cockroach genus Margattea Shellford, 1911 (Blattodea: Pseudophyllodromiidae) is described from Yonaguni-jima Island, the Ryukyus, Japan. The new species M. ventrinigra sp. nov. was compared with three species of the same genus on the basis of morphology and mitochondrial DNA sequences (COI and COII): M. satsumana, M. ogatai and M. nimbata.

A new species of the vitismin cockroach genus Perspicuus Koubová, 2020 from the Late Cretaceous (Santonian) of Hungary

Mesozoic amber cockroaches are rare compared to sedimentary imprints and are only known from Myanmar, Lebanon, France, Russia and USA. Perspicuus csincsii sp. n. from the Late Cretaceous (Santonian) ajkaite amber of Hungary with very long cerci, cup-like terminal palpomere of the maxillary palp and fully carinated legs, is clearly distinguished from all other Vitisminae species by the unique, black forewing with small light-coloured dots/stripes and the absence of pubescence on the wings (autapomorphies). The second cockroach described from the ajkaite adds important data to the distribution pattern of Vitisminae during the Late Cretaceous and further highlights the similarity of the ajkaite and burmite biotas.

Revisions on the genus Periplaneta Burmeister, 1838 (Blattodea: Blattidae: Blattinae) part 1: two new genera from the Philippines and Borneo

ABSTRACT This paper is a first among a series of papers that aims to revise the cockroach genus Periplaneta. The type species P. americana is redescribed, with detailed description of the male genital structure. Two new genera: Hobbitoblatta gen. nov., and Nazgultaure gen. nov., are described based on H. lambioae sp. nov. and N. lata comb. nov., respectively. A neotype for N. lata is designated. Periplaneta regina is redescribed and transferred to Dorylaea. http://urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:619A109A-347C-4096-907F-978F050DDF7C

Exploring the diversity of Eupolyphaga Chopard, 1929 (Blattodea, Corydioidea): species delimitation based on morphology and molecular analysis.

Eupolyphaga Chopard, 1929 is a cockroach genus mainly endemic to China. In this study, the species diversity of this genus is further explored through morphology and molecular analysis. Four species are described new to science: Eupolyphagamiracidia Qiu, sp. nov., Eupolyphagaudenostyla Qiu, sp. nov., Eupolyphagareducta Qiu, sp. nov., and Eupolyphagasimila Qiu, sp. nov. New knowledge on some known species is added, including new distribution records and characteristics of females. Forty-five COI sequences were newly sequenced and a molecular species delimitation analysis was performed using ABGD method. Eighteen molecular operational taxonomic units were obtained by ABGD analysis, which are nearly consistent with the results of morphological delimitation.

Two New Species of the Genus Eucorydia (Blattodea: Corydiidae) from the Nansei Islands in Southwest Japan.

Two new species of the cockroach genus Eucorydia Hebard, 1929 from the Nansei Islands in Southwest Japan were compared to two closely related congeners, Eucorydia yasumatsui Asahina, 1971 and Eucorydia dasytoides (Walker, 1868). Eucorydia donanensis Yanagisawa, Sakamaki, and Shimano sp. nov. from Yonaguni-jima Island was characterized by an overall length of 12.5-14.5 mm in males. The dorsal side of the male abdomen was entirely dark purple and there was an obscure orange band running down the middle of the tegmen. Eucorydia tokaraensis Yanagisawa, Sakamaki, and Shimano sp. nov. was characterized by an overall length of 12.0-13.0 mm in males and a distinct orange band running down the middle of the tegmen. Eucorydia yasumatsui, E. donanensis, E. tokaraensis and the zonata population of E. dasytoides were divided into four lineages in a maximum-likelihood tree generated from a dataset concatenated from five (two nuclear, 28S rRNA, histone H3, and three mitochondrial, COII, 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA) genes. We recognized the three Japanese lineages E. yasumatsui, E. donanensis, and E. tokaraensis as distinct species, which were also supported by the pairwise genetic distances (5.4-7.8%, K2P) of the COI sequences. Morphometric analysis was performed on the genitalia. A principal component analysis plot revealed that the sizes of the genitalia in the three Japanese species were similar to each other and smaller than that of the zonata population of E. dasytoides. The analysis also revealed that the three Japanese species were distinguished from each other by combinations of the sizes of L3 and L7 sclerites and the shape of R2 sclerite, with some overlapping exceptions.

The informative value of museum collections for ecology and conservation: A comparison with target sampling in the Brazilian Atlantic forest.

Since two decades the richness and potential of natural history collections (NHC) were rediscovered and emphasized, promoting a revolution in the access on data of species occurrence, and fostering the development of several disciplines. Nevertheless, due to their inherent erratic nature, NHC data are plagued by several biases. Understanding these biases is a major issue, particularly because ecological niche models (ENMs) are based on the assumption that data are not biased. Based on it, a recent body of research have focused on searching adequate methods for dealing with biased data and proposed the use of filters in geographical and environmental space. Although the strength of filtering in environmental space has been shown with virtual species, nothing has yet been tested with a real dataset including field validation. In order to contribute to this task, we explore this issue by comparing a dataset from NHC to a recent targeted sampling of the cockroach genus Monastria Saussure, 1864 in the Brazilian Atlantic forest. We showed that, despite strong similarities, the area modeled with NHC data was much smaller. These differences were due to strong climate biases, which increased model’s specificity and reduced sensitivity. By applying two forms of rarefaction in the environmental space, we showed that deleting points at random in the most biased climate class is a powerful way for increasing model’s sensitivity, so making predictions more suitable to the reality.

A taxonomic study of Eupolyphaga Chopard, 1929 (Blattodea: Corydiidae: Corydiinae)

The cockroach genus Eupolyphaga is revised. Twenty species and two subspecies are recognized, with thirteen species and two subspecies are new to science: E. daweishana sp. nov., E. dongi sp. nov., E. fengi sp. nov., E. hanae sp. nov., E. hupingensis sp. nov., E. maculata sp. nov., E. nigrifera sp. nov., E. nigrinotum sp. nov., E. pilosa sp. nov., E. robusta sp. nov., E. shennongensis sp. nov., E. wooi sp. nov., E. xuorum sp. nov., E. everestiana reni subsp. nov., and E. fengi yongshengensis subsp. nov. Homœogamia sinensis Saussure is placed as a junior synonym of E. sinensis (Walker) and the replaced name E. limbata (Kirby) for Homœogamia sinensis is invalid, the status of Eupolyphaga thibetana (Chopard) is recovered. Male genitalia of species in the genus is described and illustrated. Females and oothecae of some species are described and illustrated. Distribution maps and a checklist of Eupolyphaga are provided. A key to males of Eupolyphaga is given. Plenty habitat photographs are shown.

The cockroaches of Balta Tepper from China, with the description of four new species (Blattodea, Ectobiidae, Pseudophyllodromiinae).

Four new species of cockroach genus Balta Tepper, 1893 are described and illustrated: B. crena sp. n., B. maculata sp. n., B. tangi sp. n., and B. yaoi sp. n. Balta picea (Bey-Bienko, 1958) is now regarded as a new synonym of Balta hwangorum (Bey-Bienko, 1958), which is redescribed and illustrated. Two new combinations are proposed: B. nodigera (Bey-Bienko, 1958), comb. n. and B. valida (Bey-Bienko, 1958), comb. n., and both species are redescribed and illustrated. A key to all species from China is provided.

Revision of Eucorydia Hebard, 1929 from China, with notes on the genus and species worldwide (Blattodea, Corydioidea, Corydiidae).

The cockroach genus Eucorydia from China is revised. Five new species are described and illustrated: Eucorydia linglong sp. n., Eucorydia pilosa sp. n., Eucorydia splendida sp. n., Eucorydia guilinensis sp. n., and Eucorydia tangi sp. n.. Corydia purpuralis Kirby, 1903 and Eucorydia paucipilosa Woo, Guo & Feng, 1986 are confirmed to be junior synonyms of Eucorydia dasytoides (Walker, 1868). Eucorydia hilaris (Kirby, 1903) is newly recorded from China. This genus and currently known species from around the world are discussed. The status of Eucorydia maxwelli (Hanitsch, 1915) is revived. Corydia plagiata Walker, 1868 is confirmed to be a junior synonym of Eucorydia ornata (Saussure, 1864). A checklist, key, and photographs of members of this genus are provided.

Transcriptome sequencing and estimation of DNA methylation level in the subsocial wood-feeding cockroach Cryptocercus punctulatus (Blattodea: Cryptocercidae)

The wood-feeding cockroach genus Cryptocercus is a subsocial and sister group of the eusocial cockroaches, i.e., termites. Although Cryptocercus is a key taxon for understanding the evolution of eusociality in the Blattodea (cockroaches and termites), few genetic resources are available for comparative genetic analyses. In this study, we conducted transcriptome sequencing of Cryptocercus punctulatus Scudder using next-generation sequencing technology to generate a massive genetic resource. By transcriptome sequencing and subsequent de novo transcriptome assembly, we obtained 132,191 contigs. The assembled transcriptome contained almost all of the conserved core eukaryote or insect genes. Furthermore, juvenile hormone- and DNA methylation-related genes that are considered to be key genes for the caste polyphenism in eusocial insects, were identified from the transcriptome assembly. In addition, the ratio of the observed (O) cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) content to the expected (E) one (CpG O/E), which is a proxy for the DNA methylation level, was calculated for coding regions extracted from the assembly. The CpG O/E values were less than 1 in most of the coding regions, and the frequency distribution of the CpG O/E values was bimodal rather than unimodal. These results indicate that most C. punctulatus genes are involved in DNA methylation.

Three new species of cockroach genus Hemithyrsocera Saussure, 1893 (Blattodea: Ectobiidae: Blattellinae) with redescriptions of two known species from China.

This paper deals with five species of the genus Hemithyrsocera Saussure, 1893, of which three new species, H. forcipata, H. spinibarbis and H. longiseta spp. nov., are described and illustrated, H. banvaneuensis (Roth, 1985) is reported for the first time from China, plus one little known species H. simulans (Bey-Bienko, 1969) are redescribed and illustrated. A key to all Chinese species of Hemithyrsocera is provided.

Contribution to the cockroach genus Ctenoneura Hanitsch, 1925 (Blattodea: Corydioidea: Corydiidae) with descriptions of seven new species from China.

Seven new species of Ctenoneura Hanitsch, 1925, Ctenoneura bawangensis sp. nov., Ctenoneura delicata sp. nov., Ctenoneura elongata sp. nov., Ctenoneura heixuanfeng sp. nov., Ctenoneura helicata sp. nov., Ctenoneura papillaris sp. nov. and Ctenoneura qiuae sp. nov. are described from Hainan and Yunnan, China. Ctenoneura simulans Bey-Bienko, 1969 is redescribed and illustrated. Male genitalia of this genus is described and illustrated for the first time and is found to lack any genital hook. Female Ctenoneura is reported as apterous. Species abundance is estimated. Two species groups are suggested and the taxonomic status of the genus is discussed. A map and a key to males of Chinese Ctenoneura spp. and an updated checklist of the Ctenoneura are provided. Habitat photographs of Ctenoneura are shown for the first time.

Parental social environment alters development of nutritionally independent nymphs in Cryptocercus punctulatus (Dictyoptera: Cryptocercidae)

Split-brood field studies using the biparental, subsocial wood-feeding cockroach Cryptocercus punctulatus indicate that parental absence in families of three different age classes of nutritionally independent juveniles results in significantly slower growth when compared to sib groups allowed to remain with adults, even when nymphs are more than 2 years old when parents are removed. In one family that was divided when nymphs were 15 months old and followed for 4 years after treatment, 69 % of nymphs allowed to remain with parents reached maturity in the third year of the study, while those isolated from parents remained in the subadult stage at the 3-year mark. In the fourth year, measurements of wet weights and head capsule widths of the newly mature adults in the two treatments of this family were not significantly different. A parental vs. non-parental social environment, then, resulted in different rates of growth to reproductive maturity, but nymphs in both treatments ultimately reached similar adult sizes. The results indicate that parental effects can modify offspring ontogeny independently of the direct transfer of resources in the form of trophallactic food and symbionts. Because cockroaches in this genus are sister group to the developmentally plastic and juvenilized termites, further exploration of the role of the social environment on development in Cryptocercus is warranted. Termites are eusocial cockroaches that exhibit weak or delayed post-embryonic development; the majority of colony members are arrested in the small, soft-bodied, altricial morphotype displayed by early juvenile stages of their subsocial sister group, Cryptocercus. Developmental dynamics in this cockroach genus can therefore provide insight into conditions that may have favored the origin of eusociality in the lineage. Here, we demonstrate that the parental social environment in Cryptocercus punctulatus modifies offspring development independently of the direct transfer of hindgut fluids and does so for more than 2 years after hatch. A system in which parent-offspring interactions modify juvenile ontogeny, whatever the mechanism, contributes to the unique set of circumstances that ultimately resulted in the evolution of termite eusociality.

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.

A revision of the genus Arenivaga (Rehn) (Blattodea, Corydiidae), with descriptions of new species and key to the males of the genus

The cockroach genus Arenivaga is revised. Forty-eight Arenivaga species are recognized with nine previously known species and 39 described as new including the following: A. pagana sp. n., A. grandiscanyonensis sp. n., A. haringtoni sp. n., A. hopkinsorum sp. n., A. umbratilis sp. n., A. tenax sp. n., A. impensa sp. n., A. trypheros sp. n., A. darwini sp. n., A. nalepae sp. n., A. sequoia sp. n., A. mckittrickae sp. n., A. gaiophanes sp. n., A. belli sp. n., A. estelleae sp. n., A. delicata sp. n., A. mortisvallisensis sp. n., A. milleri sp. n., A. pratchetti sp. n., A. gumperzae sp. n., A. rothi sp. n., A. ricei sp. n., A. adamsi sp. n., A. nicklei sp. n., A. akanthikos sp. n., A. moctezuma sp. n., A. paradoxa sp. n., A. apaeninsula sp. n., A. hebardi sp. n., A. dnopheros sp. n., A. aquila sp. n., A. florilega sp. n., A. galeana sp. n., A. gurneyi sp. n., A. pumila sp. n., A. hypogaios sp. n., A. diaphana sp. n., A. nocturna sp. n., A. alichenas sp. n. All species are described or redescribed, major morphological features are illustrated, distributions are characterized, and the biology of the species is reviewed. A neotype series is designated for A. investigata Friauf & Edney.

NativeEctobius(Blattaria: Ectobiidae) from the Early Eocene Green River Formation of Colorado and Its Reintroduction to North America 49 Million Years Later

AbstractEctobius kohlsi sp. n. and three undetermined species of the common Eurasian cockroach genus EctobiusStephens, 1835 are reported from the lower middle Eocene of North America. This species indicates a cosmopolitan distribution of the genus during the mid Paleogene, and supports its current relict distribution in modern north-temperate and African ecosystems. When compared with the living species, E. kohlsi was either neutral or plesiomorphic in all characters, but exhibited a close relationship to the extant Ectobius kraussianusRamme, 1923 Species Group in the identical structure of the pronotum. E. kohlsi also was similar to extant Ectobius ticinusBohn, 2004, in the character of its wing venation (see Bohn 2004), in particular the forewing vein M, and to extant Ectobius vittiventris (Costa 1847) in details of forewing coloration. These latter two species are members of the Ectobius sylvestris Species Group (Bohn 1989). Ectobius balticusGermar et Berendt, 1856 —a conspicuously dominant cockroach from mid-Eocene Baltic amber—also appears plesiomorphic in all characters despite being a few million years younger than E. kohlsi. One reason for the complete disappearance of this dominant genus from North America is the peculiar consequence that, after 49 million years, a cool-adapted Ectobius lapponicus (L.) was capable of being reintroduced to a significantly cooler North America than that its antecedents which inhabited North America during a warmer European Eocene. Modern E. lapponicus is synanthropic in North America, even though no synanthropism is recorded for this species in its native habitat throughout Europe.

El género Eurycotis (Dictyoptera: Blattaria: Blattidae: Polyzosteriinae) 1. Especies de la Hispaniola. Primera parte: seis especies nuevas

Se describen seis especies nuevas del género de cucarachas Eurycotis Stål para la República Dominicana (Hispaniola). Se brindan diagnosis diferenciales, ilustraciones y comentarios para los táxones nuevos y las dos especies previamente conocidas de la Hispaniola.

Three new species of cockroach genus Symploce Hebard, 1916 (Blattodea, Ectobiidae, Blattellinae) with redescriptions of two known species based on types from Mainland China

Three new species of Symploce Hebard from China are described: Symploce sphaerica sp. n., Symploce paramarginata sp. n. and Symploce evidens sp. n. Two known species are redescribed and illustrated based on types. A key is given to identify all species of Symploce from mainland China.

Paleocene origin of the cockroach families Blaberidae and Corydiidae: Evidence from Amur River region of Russia

Morphna paleo sp. n., the earliest winged representative of any living cockroach genus and the earliest representative of the family Blaberidae, is described from the Danian Arkhara-Boguchan coal mine in the Amur River region (Russian Far East). The branched Sc and A suggest Ectobiidae (=Blattellidae) probably is not the ancestral family because Blaberidae were derived directly from the extinct family Mesoblattindae. The associated Danian locality Belaya Gora yielded Ergaula stonebut sp. n., the earliest record of the family Corydiidae. Both species belong to genera codominant in the Messel locality, thus validating their dominance in early Cenozoic assemblages.

New species of Macrophyllodromia (Blattaria, Blattellidae) from Ecuador and a key to males of the genus

Representatives of the cockroach genus Macrophyllodromia are widely distributed in Central and South Americas. The genus involves 10 species, including one new species described here, that are divided into 3 species groups--splendida, amabile and maximiliani. Macrophyllodromia onorei sp. n. is described as the fourth species of this genus from Ecuador. A key is provided for males of all known species of Macrophyllodromia and a species distribution map is presented.