The Biotic Associations of CockroachesRoth, Louis M. (Louis Marcus)
Science
The Biotic Associations of Cockroaches
Roth, Louis M. (Louis Marcus)
Cockroaches; Insects -- Ecology
=Szepligetella sericea= (Cameron)
_Synonymy._--_Evania sericea_ Cameron [Townes, 1949, personal
communication, 1956]. _Evania impressa_ Schletterer [Townes, p. c.,
1956].
_Natural hosts._--_Cutilia soror_ and _Neostylopyga rhombifolia_, Hawaii
(Swezey, 1929).
_Periplaneta americana_ and _Periplaneta australasiae_, Hawaii (Swezey,
1929; Zimmerman, 1948).
_Periplaneta_ sp., Fiji (Lever, 1943, 1946).
Adults are sometimes found resting on leaves covered with honey dew
(Williams et al., 1931).
=Zeuxevania splendidula= Costa
_Natural hosts._--_Loboptera decipiens_, France (Lavagne, 1914; Genieys,
1924).
Picard (1913) believed that _Z. splendidula_ parasitized _L. decipiens_
and not its eggs; however, Lavagne (1914) explained the true
relationship by dissecting two specimens of _Z. splendidula_ from
oöthecae of _L. decipiens_.
The following information is taken from Genieys (1924):
_Oviposition._--Wasp egg is introduced into the still-soft oötheca
before the wall hardens. Some oöthecae had four oviposition scars but
never contained more than two parasite eggs. _Development._--Larva
commences development in July or August. Only one larva completes
development, but it eats all the eggs in the oötheca. The wasp passes
the winter as a last instar larva and pupates in the spring; the adult
emerges during the spring or in June. _Hyperparasitism._--About 10
percent of the oöthecae of _Loboptera decipiens_ that were parasitized
by _Z. splendidula_ were also hyperparasitized by an eulophid (see
_Syntomosphyrum ischnopterae_, p. 249).
Family CLEONYMIDAE
=Agamerion metallica= Girault
_Natural hosts._--_Ellipsidion australe_, Australia, Queensland (Dodd,
1917): "the parasite when ready to emerge fully occupies the whole space
of the destroyed eggs."
Cockroach, Australia, New South Wales (Dr. B. D. Girault, 1915a).
Family ENCYRTIDAE
=Blatticida pulchra= Ashmead
_Natural host._--Cockroach eggs on orange leaves, Australia, New South
Wales (Gahan and Peck, 1946). According to Dr. A. B. Gurney the oötheca
associated with the type specimens of the wasps in the United States
National Museum is possibly _Balta_ sp. (Burks, personal communication,
1956).
=Blatticidella ashmeadi= (Girault)
_Synonymy._--_Blatticida ashmeadi._ _Blatticida_ Girault, 1915, is
preoccupied by _Blatticida_ Ashmead, 1904. In 1923 Gahan and Fagan
renamed _Blatticida_ Girault, _Blatticidella_. [Burks, p. c., 1956.]
_Natural host._--Cockroach, Australia, Queensland (Girault, 1915).
=Cheiloneurus viridiscutum= (Girault)
_Synonymy._--_Cristatithorax_ Girault = _Cheiloneurus_ Westwood [Mercet,
1921].
_Natural host._--_Ellipsidion australe_, Australia, Queensland (Dodd,
1917).
=Comperia merceti= (Compere)
_Synonymy._--_Comperia merceti_ var. _falsicornis_ Gomes [Peck, 1951].
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