The Biotic Associations of CockroachesRoth, Louis M. (Louis Marcus)
Science
The Biotic Associations of Cockroaches
Roth, Louis M. (Louis Marcus)
Cockroaches; Insects -- Ecology
Rehn and Hebard (1914) stated of _Supella supellectilium_ in Florida
that "The females were all taken in cupboards where _Blattella
germanica_ was found in swarms." The association in human habitations of
_S. supellectilium_ and _B. germanica_ has been reported also by Sein
(1923), Puerto Rico; Shaw (1924), Australia; Mallis (1954): "German and
brown-banded roaches were often found in the same crevice."; Anonymous
(1958), Texas; and Anonymous (1958a), Georgia. Gould and Deay (1940)
stated that other species of cockroaches, especially _B. germanica_, may
be found with _S. supellectilium_ in the same part of a building. Yet
Shaw (1925) stated that "when _Supella supellectilium_ Serv. invades
places already occupied by _Blattella germanica_ L., it tends to oust
the latter."
_Blaberus discoidalis_ has been found in homes or in fruit debris in
Puerto Rico in company with the more common, domiciliary species
_Leucophaea maderae_, but never in abundance (Sein, 1923; Wolcott,
1950). Illingworth (1915) in Hawaii found _Symploce hospes_ associated
with _Nauphoeta cinerea_, _Graptoblatta notulata_, and _Diploptera
punctata_.
Hebard (1917) found _Aglaopteryx diaphana_ in a bromeliad on a forest
tree in Jamaica together with _Nyctibora laevigata_ and numerous
_Cariblatta insularis_. He also found numerous _Aglaopteryx gemma_ under
signs on longleaf pines in Alabama with occasional specimens of
_Parcoblatta lata_. In Virginia he found _Parcoblatta uhleriana_ in a
decaying chestnut log with _Cryptocercus punctulalus_. In Florida he
found _Latiblattella rehni_ with _Eurycotis floridana_ and, more rarely,
with _Periplaneta australasiae_ under bark of pine trees. In Key West he
found _Symploce hospes_ in the cupboard of a hotel with swarms of
_Blattella germanica_ and a few _Supella supellectilium_.
Rehn and Hebard (1927) in their study of West Indian blattids reported
finding _Neoblattella proserpina_ in epiphytic bromeliads in Jamaica in
company with _Neoblattella eurydice_ and _Neoblattella dryas_. They also
list most of the associations cited by Hebard (1917).
Ramme (1923) reported that he found in Germany four species of
_Ectobius_ (_lapponicus_, _lucidus_, _pallidus_, and _sylvester_) living
together in an area about 50 m. by 200 m. Although he had stated that
his specimens of _E. lucidus_ were a distinct species in 1923, Ramme
(1951) later decided that they were a form of _E. sylvester_, _E.
sylvester_ f. _lucidus_.
Dow (1955) reported trapping _Blattella germanica_, _Periplaneta
americana_, and _Periplaneta brunnea_ in houses and privies in south
Texas. At our request Dr. Dow (personal communication, 1958) analyzed
his records to determine whether there were indications of associations
between these species, with the following results:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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