JBLATTODEA. 63 



feelings towards these venerable members of the 

 insect tribes. The limited number of entomologists, 

 who have given closer attention to them, look upon 

 them, however, with quite different eyes. 



We may define the BLATTODEA as : 



Orthoptera with all the legs more or less alike; the 

 large and- free coxa', entirely covering the ventral surface 

 of the thorax and the base of the abdomen ; tarsi of five 

 segments. Head, in repose, bent under the thorax, so 

 that the fore part points backwards; antennas long and 

 slender (there being often nearly a hundred segments). 

 Pronotum shield-Wee, frequently quite concealing the 

 head. Wings with tin' anal region capable of fan-like 

 folding (but the alar organs are rariable and sometimes 

 ''iitiffli/ absent). Cerci, variable in size find shape, 

 ^resent in -both, sexes ; a pair of slender styles also 

 usually present in the male. 



Twelve families are comprised within the sub-order 

 Blattodea : 



W.B.* 1. ECTOBIID.K. 7. BLABERID^. 



W.B. 2. PHYLLODROMIIR*;. \V. 8. CORYDIDJE. 



3. NYCTIBORIDJ:. 9. OXYHALOIDJS. 



4. EPILAMPRIILT;. 10. PERISPH.ERIID^. 

 W.B. 5. PERIPLANETIKK. 11. PANESTHIID.&. 

 W.B. 6. PANCHLORID^;. 12. GEOSCAPHEUSID.E. 



Only five of these families are represented in western 

 Europe. Of these, four contain species that are found 

 to breed in Britain, though but one the Ectobiidas- 

 contains indigenous British insects. 



No striking resemblance is borne by the typical 



cockroach to any other insect. Its next of kin perhaps 



-an aberrant member of the Forficulodea approaches 



it most nearly in appearance ; but even between these 



the resemblance is not very great. 



One point about a cockroach which first engages 

 attention is its extreme flatness, that is to say the 

 narrow space which separates the dorsal from the 

 ventral surface. This feature enables it easily to hide 



* W = represented in Western Europe ; B = represented in the British 

 Isles. 



