314 PROCEEDINGS: BOSTON SOCIETY NATURAL HISTORY. 
immature in all stages of development, awaiting the quietness of 
night to come out and search for food. 
Able to run swiftly on its long legs and fly freely with its ample 
wings, but chiefly through its association with man and his com- 
merce, it has spread around the globe and estabUshed itself where- 
ever continuous heat, moisture, and food are to be found. A 
native of tropical or subtropical climates, it probably does not 
maintain itself in New England except under artificial condi- 
tions, but it has been reported from various points and probably 
inhabits every city and large town in the district. 
Australian Roach. 
Periplaneta australasiae (Fabricius). 
Figs. 27, 40. 
Blatta australasiae Fabricius, Syst. Ent., p. 271 (1775). 
Periplaneta australasiae Scudder, Psyche, vol. 9, p. 119 (1900). — Walden, 
BuU. Geol. Nat. Hist. Surv. Ct., no. 16, p. 59 (1911). 
Dark castaneous, less dark toward end of tegmina, and deep- 
ening to black on head and pronotum. Base of tegmina on costal 
margin (in front of mediastinal vein) marked with bright yellow. 
Disk of pronotum black or dark castaneous, the narrow, dark 
margin bordered internally by a more or less continuous pale 
yellow ring, which is widest behind (where also the dark 
margin is widest), sometimes discontinuous, and sometimes 
extended on the mid-line. 
Measurements. 
Total length Tegmina Pronotum Hind tibia Antenna 
Length Width 
Male 33 27-28 6 8.5-9 10.5-11.5 35-42 
Female 29-32 24-25 8 10 -10.5 11- 12 26-28 mm. 
The Australian Roach is a little smaller than its relative, P. 
americana, and is even attractive in its brightly contrasted color- 
ing. It is likewise an introduced species, living here only under 
artificial conditions. In the South it is said to be even more 
plentiful and destructive than P. americana, but it is less generally 
distributed in New England. Walden records it from New Haven 
