COCKROACH

Introduction

• Colour: Cockroaches are brown or black bodied animals; bright yellow, red and green
coloured cockroaches have also been reported in tropical regions.

• Classification: Included in Class Insecta of Phylum Arthropoda.

• Size: Range from 1/4 inch to 3 inches (0.6–7.6 cm).

• External features: Possess long antennae, legs, and a flat extension of the upper
body wall that conceals the head.

• Habitat & behaviour: Nocturnal omnivores living in damp places worldwide; have
become residents of human homes.

• Cursorial insects — they run very fast.

• Serious pests and vectors of diseases such as typhoid fever, cholera, dysentery, and
giardiasis.

Morphology

• Common species example: Periplaneta americana adults about 34–53 mm long; in

males wings extend beyond tip of abdomen.

• Body segmentation: Body segmented into three distinct regions — head, thorax,
abdomen.

• Exoskeleton: Entire body covered by a hard chitinous exoskeleton (brown).

• Sclerites and membranes:

o Each segment’s exoskeleton has hardened plates called sclerites: tergites

(dorsal), sternites (ventral), pleurites (lateral).

o Sclerites joined by a thin, flexible arthrodial (articular) membrane.

• Scent glands: Arthrodial membrane joining the 5th and 6th tergites bears a pair of
scent glands; secretion may repel enemies and (according to some entomologists) in
males during breeding season produces a scent that excites females for copulation.
Anatomy

Head

• Shape & orientation: Head is triangular and lies anteriorly at right angles (90°) to the
longitudinal body axis (hypognathous).

• Segmental origin & mobility: Formed by fusion of six segments; shows great
mobility in all directions due to a flexible neck.

• Head capsule & eyes: In adult, all sclerites of head are fused to form a head capsule
that bears a pair of compound eyes.

• Antennae: A pair of thread-like antennae arise from membranous sockets in front of

the eyes; antennae have sensory receptors for monitoring the environment.

• Mouthparts (biting & chewing type):

o Components: Labrum (upper lip), pair of mandibles, pair of maxillae, labium

(lower lip).

o Hypopharynx: A median flexible lobe acting as a tongue (hypopharynx) lies

within the cavity enclosed by the mouthparts.

Thorax

• Structure

o Thorax consists of three parts: prothorax, mesothorax, metathorax.

• Connection to head

o Head is connected to thorax by a short extension of the prothorax called the

neck.

• Appendages borne

o Thorax bears three pairs of legs and two pairs of wings.

• Leg (each) — podomeres (five segments)

o Coxa

o Trochanter

o Femur

o Tibia

o Tarsus
 • Wings

o Two pairs of wings: first pair from mesothorax, second pair from metathorax.

o Forewings (mesothoracic) = tegmina: opaque, dark, leathery; cover hind

wings at rest.

o Hind wings (metathoracic): transparent, membranous; used in flight.

o Forewings often called tegmina (protective), hind wings are membranous

flight wings.

Abdomen

• General

o The abdomen in both males and females consists of 10 segments.

• Female abdomen

o 7th sternum is boat-shaped.

o 7th, 8th and 9th sterna together form the brood/genital pouch.

o Anterior part of genital pouch contains: female gonopore, spermathecal

pores, and collateral glands.

• Male abdomen

o Genital pouch/chamber located at hind end of abdomen; bounded dorsally

by 9th and 10th terga and ventrally by 9th sternum.

o Contains: dorsal anus, ventral male genital pore, and gonapophysis.

o Males bear a pair of short, threadlike anal styles at 9th Sternum (absent in
females).

• Anal cerci

o Both sexes: the 10th segment bears a pair of jointed filamentous structures
called anal cerci.

Digestive System (Alimentary Canal)

• Overall division:

o Alimentary canal is divided into three regions: Foregut (Stomodaeum);

Midgut (Mesenteron); Hindgut (Proctodaeum).
• Foregut (Stomodaeum):

o Components: Preoral cavity, mouth, pharynx, oesophagus, crop, gizzard.

o Mouth → Pharynx → Oesophagus: Mouth opens into a short tubular

pharynx, which leads to a narrow tubular oesophagus.

o Crop: Sac-like structure following oesophagus; function = storage of food.

o Gizzard (Proventriculus):

▪ Position: Follows the crop.

▪ Structure: Outer layer of thick circular muscles and inner thick cuticle
forming six highly chitinous plates (teeth).

▪ Function: Grinding of food particles.

o Lining: Entire foregut is lined by cuticle.

• Midgut (Mesenteron):

o Structure: Thin-walled, coiled tube with almost uniform thickness.

o Peritrophic membrane: Forms around food; permeable to digestive enzymes

and digested foods.

o Function: Major site of digestion; most food is digested here.

o Hepatic (gastric) caeca: Ring of 6–8 blind tubules at junction of foregut and
midgut; secrete digestive juice.

• Hindgut (Proctodaeum):

o Malpighian tubules: At junction of midgut and hindgut there is a ring of 100–

150 thin filamentous Malpighian tubules (yellow coloured); function =
removal of excretory products from haemolymph.

o Differentiation: Hindgut broader than midgut; divided into ileum, colon,

rectum.

o Anus: Rectum opens to the outside through the anus.

• Salivary glands and secretions:

o Paired salivary glands lie one on each side of the oesophagus and crop.

o Saliva contains enzymes: amylase, chitinase, cellulase.

Respiratory System

• General plan:

o Respiratory system = network of tracheae opening to the exterior through 10

pairs of spiracles located on the lateral side of the body.

• Spiracles:

o Count and location: 10 pairs total — first two pairs = thoracic spiracles,
remaining 8 pairs = abdominal spiracles.

o Structure around spiracle: Each spiracle is surrounded by an annular sclerite

(peritreme) leading into a chamber called the atrium.

o Regulation: Opening of spiracles is regulated by sphincters; spiracular valves

control and regulate air in/out of the abdomen.

• Tracheal system:

o Tracheal tubes branch and subdivide into tracheoles; these carry oxygen to
all parts.

o Gas exchange occurs at the tracheoles by diffusion.

• Muscular role in ventilation:

o Tergo-sternal muscles (or sternotergal muscles) play an important role during

inspiration and expiration.

Blood Vascular System

• Type: Open circulatory system.

• General features:

o Blood vessels are poorly developed and open into body cavity (haemocoel).

o Two horizontal diaphragms partition the haemocoel into three large sinuses:

▪ Dorsal (pericardial) sinus — encloses the heart.

▪ Middle (perivisceral) sinus — encloses most viscera.

▪ Ventral (perineural) sinus — encloses the nerve cord.

o Both diaphragms are perforated by apertures that interconnect all three

sinuses.

o Additional blood-filled spaces occur in the head (head sinuses).

 o Visceral organs in the haemocoel are bathed in haemolymph.

o Haemolymph composition: colourless plasma + haemocytes.

• Heart anatomy and function:

o Heart is an elongated muscular tube along the mid-dorsal line of thorax and
abdomen.

o Differentiated into 13 funnel-shaped chambers with lateral ostia (paired

apertures) at the posterior end of each chamber.

o First chamber continues as a narrow anterior aorta leading to head sinuses.

o Heart receives blood from pericardial sinus through ostia; ostia are guarded
by auricular valves to prevent backflow.

o All chambers interconnect; openings are guarded by ventricular valves to

permit anterior flow only.

o Last chamber is closed posteriorly.

o Heart is neurogenic — heartbeat initiated by nerve impulse.

o Blood flows from sinuses → heart through ostia → pumped anteriorly to

sinuses.

• Alary muscles:

o Twelve pairs of fan-shaped, triangular alary muscles present.

o Narrow ends inserted into terga; broader ends attached to dorsal diaphragm.

o Contractile alary muscles assist blood flow from heart to other haemocoelic
spaces.

Excretory System

• Primary excretory organs: Malpighian tubules (about 100–150, yellow coloured).

o Located at the junction of midgut and hindgut.

o Each tubule lined by glandular and ciliated cells.

o Function: absorb nitrogenous wastes and convert them into uric acid, which
is excreted via the hindgut.

• Nitrogenous waste type: Cockroach is uricotelic (excretes uric acid).

 • Accessory excretory structures:

o Fat bodies.

o Nephrocytes (pericardial cells).

o Uricose glands (mushroom gland).

Nervous System

• Organization:

o Series of fused, segmentally arranged ganglia joined by paired longitudinal

connectives on the ventral side.

o Three thoracic ganglia and six abdominal ganglia.

o Nervous system is spread throughout the body; head contains part while
majority lies along ventral side.

o Because much of the nervous system is distributed in the body, a cockroach

can survive up to about one week after decapitation.

• Brain and head ganglia:

o Supra-oesophageal ganglion (brain) supplies nerves to antennae and

compound eyes.

• Sense organs: antennae, compound eyes, maxillary palps, labial palps, anal cerci,
etc.

• Compound eyes:

o Situated on dorsal surface of head.

o Each eye has about 2000 hexagonal ommatidia (each ommatidium = single
unit).

o Multiple ommatidia allow reception of several images of an object.

• Ocelli: located near compound eyes; regarded by some as undeveloped simple eyes
and by others as functional because they are sensitive to light.

• Vision type:

o Only mosaic (apposition) images are formed day and night because
pigmented sheath lacks power of contraction.

o Cockroach is nocturnal; mosaic vision at night gives more sensitivity but less
resolution.
Reproductive System

• General: Cockroaches are dioecious; both sexes have well-developed reproductive

organs.

Male Reproductive System

• Testes: a pair, one on each lateral side in 4th–6th abdominal segments.

o Each testis consists of 3 or 4 interconnected lobes.

• Duct system:

o From each testis arises a thin vas deferens.

o Vas deferens opens into ejaculatory duct through seminal vesicle.

o Ejaculatory duct opens to the male gonopore, situated ventral to anus.

• Accessory gland: Utricular (mushroom) gland located in 6th–7th abdominal

segments.

o Functions as an accessory reproductive gland.

o Formed of three types of small sac-like tubules:

▪ Long tubules (utriculi majores).

▪ Small tubules (utriculi breviores).

▪ Seminal vesicles.

• Phallic (conglobate) gland: long, flattened, club-shaped accessory gland located

ventrally beneath the utricular gland.

• External genitalia (male gonapophyses / phallomeres): three asymmetrical

chitinous structures that surround the male gonopore: Right phallomere, Left
phallomere, Ventral phallomere.

• Sperm transport & spermatophore formation:

o Mature sperms conducted from testes → seminal vesicles.

o Sperms in a seminal vesicle are glued into a large mass called a

spermatophore; males discharge spermatophores during copulation.

o First covering: milky secretion from long tubules (utriculi majores) invests
spermatophore, forming a pouch-like shape with a small aperture.
 o Inner filling / nourishment: secretion from small tubules (utriculi breviores)
fills the spermatophore and nourishes sperms.

o Second covering: as spermatophore reaches mid-ejaculatory duct, it receives

a covering from ejaculatory duct wall secretions.

o Third (outermost) covering: at conclusion of copulation, phallic gland

secretion pours over spermatophore forming the final outer layer.

Reproductive system — Female

• General layout: Two large ovaries lying laterally in 2nd–6th abdominal segments;
each ovary comprises 8 ovarian tubules (ovarioles) containing a chain of developing
ova.

• Oviducts: oviducts of each ovary unite into a single median oviduct (vagina) which
opens into the genital chamber (gynatrium).

• Genital pouch anatomy:

o 7th sternite becomes broad and boat-shaped → floor of large genital pouch.

o 8th and 9th sternites telescope inward → form roof and sides.

o Pouch divisible into genital chamber (anterior) and oothecal chamber

(posterior).

o Vagina and accessory gland ducts open into genital chamber.

o Posterior part of 7th sternite divided into two gynovalvular plates (apical
lobes).

• Collateral glands: pair of white, highly branched accessory glands dorsal to genital
pouch; left gland larger and more opaque; secretions of left and right differ.

• Spermathecae: a pair located close to collateral glands (store sperm).

• External genitalia (female): 3 pairs of chitinous gonapophyses (ovipositor

processes) hang from roof of oothecal chamber; function to arrange ova in forming
ootheca and help shape the ootheca.

• Fertilisation & eggs: fertilisation is internal in the genital pouch; eggs are
centrolecithal.

• Ootheca (egg capsule):

o Appearance: dark reddish to blackish-brown capsule, ~3/8" (8 mm) long.

o Formation site: formed in oothecal chamber.

 o Reproductive output: females produce ~9–10 oothecae, each containing 14–
16 eggs on average.

o Formation time: formation of an ootheca takes ~20 hours.

o Deposition: female deposits oothecae in dark, dry places.

Development, life cycle, economic importance, special notes

• Type of development: Periplaneta americana shows paurometabolous development

(development through nymphal stages).

• Nymph characteristics: nymphs resemble adults; nymphal condition persists ~6

months to 2 years.

• Moulting (instars): nymph grows by ~13 moults to reach adult form.

• Hormone & glands: Ecdysone (moulting hormone) initiates moulting; secreted by

prothoracic gland; these glands degenerate after metamorphosis.

• Wing development: Penultimate nymphal stage has wing pads; only adults have
fully developed wings.

• Instar: the stage between moults is called an instar.

• Economic/health importance:

o Many cockroach species are wild with no known economic importance.

o A few species thrive around human habitats and are pests: spoil and
contaminate food with smelly excreta.

o They can transmit various bacterial diseases by contaminating food material.