RSS Bot
10-26-2007, 08:00 AM
I recently accidentally came across some amazing photos on the Web of a female cockroach carrying her young under her wing cases (tegmina) – see http://natashamhatre.blogspot.com/2007/06/cockroach-parental-care-story-continues.html (http://natashamhatre.blogspot.com/2007/06/cockroach-parental-care-story-continues.html)
I identified the species as*an epilamprine related to*Thorax or Phoraspis – two genera which are known to exhibit strange maternal care of the young. Nymphs of Thorax porcellana are known to feed on secretions from the upper surface of the mother's abdomen and they also bite holes in their mother's intersegmental membranes and feed on her blood! Natasha Mhatre, the Indian lady who took the photos, says that these cockroaches are fairly common on the campus of her university! It is a shame that Indian law make it extremely difficult to export living or dead insects as I would dearly like to keep this species.
George
More... (http://www.blattodea-culture-group.org/node/1182)
I identified the species as*an epilamprine related to*Thorax or Phoraspis – two genera which are known to exhibit strange maternal care of the young. Nymphs of Thorax porcellana are known to feed on secretions from the upper surface of the mother's abdomen and they also bite holes in their mother's intersegmental membranes and feed on her blood! Natasha Mhatre, the Indian lady who took the photos, says that these cockroaches are fairly common on the campus of her university! It is a shame that Indian law make it extremely difficult to export living or dead insects as I would dearly like to keep this species.
George
More... (http://www.blattodea-culture-group.org/node/1182)