2CO NORTH AMERICAN BLATTIDAE 



Subfamily BLABERINAE 



The species of this subfamily are almost entirely confined to the 

 American tropics, extending their distribution into the temperate 

 regions of South America. 



The following features are considered diagnostic. Tegmina and 

 wings, when fully developed, broad. Tegmina with numerous 

 oblique discoidal sectors. Wings with numerous incomplete 

 proximal, and complete distal, rami of the ulnar vein; no inter- 

 calated triangle or apical field is found. Femora unarmed, or 

 supplied with few spines; when proximal spines are present on the 

 ventro-cephalic margins of the cephalic femora, these are always 

 followed by a fringe of hairs; ventro-caudal margins of caudal 

 femora never supplied with a distal spine, often fringed with hairs. 

 Tarsal joints stout, with very large pulvilli. Arolia absent. 



BLABERUS Serville 



1831. Bkibcrus Serville, Ann. Sci. Nat., xxii, p. 37. 



1839. Blabera Serville, Hist. Nat. Ins., Orth., p. 74. (Emendation.) 



1868. Libisoca Walker, Cat. Blatt. Br. Mus., p. 12. 



1868. Sisapona Walker, ibid., p. 16. 



1868. Tarraga Walker, ibid., p. 16. 



The numerous species of this genus are peculiar to tropical 

 America. A large number of these are probably to some degree 

 domiciliary. 



Genotype: Blaberus giganteus {B[latta\ gigantea) (Linnaeus), 

 selected by Rehn in 1903.'''" 



Generic Characters. — Head with vertex hidden by pronotum. 

 Size large to very large, even for this subfamily which contains 

 no small species. Pronotum large, elliptical to roundly hexagonal; 

 surface convex, this more decided above the head, with a symmetri- 

 cal design impressed weakly on the disk. Tegmina and wings 

 broad, extending well beyond the apex of the abdomen, except 

 in females of some species in which they are slightly shorter. Teg- 

 mina with numerous discoidal sectors, which are moderately 

 oblique. Supra-anal plate rectangulate-bilobate in both sexes. 

 Cephalic femora with ventro-cephalic margins armed with a few 



326 Trans. Am. Ent. Soc, xxix, p. 288. 



