BIOTIC ASSOCIATIONS OF COCKROACHES — ROTH & WILLIS 87 



From the numerous records of this species as an adventive taken 

 on bananas (p. 150), it may be presumed to be a frequent traveler on 

 banana boats. 



Periplaneta americana 



At sea.— Lewis (1836). Hebard (1933a) stated that this is "often 

 a serious pest on the smaller ships sailing the South Seas." 



USA. — San Francisco (Simanton, 1946). Port of New York 

 (Richardson, 1947). At Miami, 62 live and 123 dead specimens 

 (Porter, personal communication, 1958). 



Periplaneta australasiae 



Migrated from West Africa to America in slave ships (Rehn, 



1945)- 



Pycnoscelus surinamensis 



Probably in part reached the New World by way of Africa in slave 

 ships (Rehn, 1945). 



Supella supellectilium 



Reached America from West Africa by slave ship (Rehn, 1945). 



Xestoblatta festae 

 At sea. — One female found dead in hold of S.S. Tenadores 

 (Hebard, 1917). 



AIRCRAFT 



Michel (1935) stated that the development of air transportation 

 brought the same insect dispersal problems that exist in land and 

 water transportation; in addition, the problem of cockroach infesta- 

 tion had become a very serious one, quite aside from the hygienic 

 point of view, because it had been discovered that these insects seek 

 out the wings of airplanes, where they subsisted on the glue and dope 

 used in airplane construction. However, Dethier (1945) found no 

 cockroaches in dismantled or wrecked wing and tail structures of 

 metal aircraft in central Africa. In fact, all-metal aircraft would seem 

 to provide little in the way of food or water for stowaway cockroaches. 



Laird (1951, 1952, 1956a) found living specimens of Blattella 

 germanica, Periplaneta americana, and Periplaneta australasiae in 

 baggage compartments and/or kitchens in aircraft. Other species 

 which have been recovered from undisclosed spaces in aircraft are 

 listed below. Some of the cockroaches that were reported as dead may 

 not have died from exposure during flight but may have been killed by 

 insecticide applied by inspecting personnel at the airports. 



