Brazilian
Cockroaches
scientific
name
Blaberus
giganteus
size
Length:
males up to 3 in long, females 4 in, 1.5 in wide
characteristics
Color:
shiny light brown fore wings
Body: flat body • 2 pairs of wings
Limbs: long legs with strong muscles
Behavior:
nocturnal • group together exhibiting sub-social behavior that
varies between territorial and hierarchical, somewhat dependent on population
density • emit an aggregation pheromone • male dominance shown
by posture and aggressiveness • adult defenses: fly, release offensive
odors, kick with sharp spurred legs, hide in cracks • feel vibrations
as a dominant sense • eyes not used much • use hind wings
for gliding or flying
reproduction/life
span
Life span:
live 20 mo as adult
Mate. female emits volatile sex pheromone inducing long courtship ritual
in males • male raise wings at right angles to abdomen and makes
trembling movements with abdomen • males fight over females •
females will mate only once
Incubation. about 60 days • incubate 20 eggs at a time internally
in ootheca inside a brood pouch
Offspring: nymphs burrow into soil or rotting wood • adult after
8 mo and 7-8 sheddings
diet
Wild: organic
detritus including bat guano, rotting wood, fruit, seeds, decomposing
vegetation, dead insects and other animals
habitat/range
Habitat:
caves, rock crevices, hollow trees, cavities under loose tree bark
Range: Panama to northwest South America, West Indies
other
also called
Costa Rica cockroach, Cockroach of the Devine Face, death’s-head
cockroach, drummer’s cockroach • has trapezoidal black patch
in center of oval head shield that looks like a human face
note
largest
cockroach
oregon
zoo exhibit
Amazon
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