164 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I41 



where it may do considerable damage to the plants. Periplaneta fulig- 

 inosa is also troublesome in greenhouses because of its tendency to 

 feed on seedlings and succulent plants (Dodge and Rickett, 1943). 



Ectobiits lapponicus has been observed feeding in galleries in the 

 thick skin of young aspen in 25 percent of the trees examined (Stark 

 in Bei-Bienko, 1950). The aquatic cockroach Epilampra abdomen- 

 nigrum fed on the leaves of Jitssiaea natans in an aquarium (Cro- 

 well, 1946) . Ischnoptera deropeltiformis has been taken while it was 

 feeding on a fleshy fungus {Agaricus sp.) in dense woods in Indiana 

 (Blatchley, 1920). 



Diploptera punctata, the cypress roach or beetle roach, has been 

 found in Hawaii feeding on ripening mangoes and papayas, oranges 

 on the tree, and the outer covering of the pods of Acacia farnesiana 

 (Bridwell and Swezey, 1915). Pemberton (1934) stated that D. 

 punctata "disfigures our cypress trees by eating the bark from the 

 young branches, often giving them a dead appearance over much of 

 their leaf area." FuUaway and Krauss (1945) added, "This injury 

 [to cypress] is so severe that sometimes areas of leaves die and turn 

 brown. The Japanese cedar, ironwood, citrus and algaroba (kiawe) 

 trees are attacked in a similar manner." Similar injury to cypress was 

 described by Hebard (1922). In addition to girdling Cupressus, D. 

 punctata injures Cryptomeria in the same fashion and also attacks 

 algaroba, lime, and other plants (Pemberton and Williams, 1938). 

 Zimmerman (1948) cited the following host plants for D. punctata in 

 Hawaii : "Cupressus macrocarpa, Casuarina, Cryptomeria, Citrus, 

 geraniums. Acacia farnesiana pods, mango fruits, orange fruits, pa- 

 paya fruits." 



In the reports of damage to plants by cockroaches, Pycnoscelus 

 surinamensis has been implicated most often. This species is un- 

 doubtedly one of the economically most important cockroaches, being 

 the vector of the chicken eyeworm as well as feeding on plants. In 

 addition to the few reports of damage caused by this species that have 

 already been mentioned, P. surinamensis has been reported to be very 

 destructive in New Orleans to palms and ferns, attacking large al- 

 sophilas avidly, eating out the hearts (Anonymous, 1893). Zappe 

 (1918) in Connecticut reported damage in a greenhouse to roses 

 valued, at that time, at several hundred dollars ; P. surinamensis had 

 girdled the rose bushes, done much damage to Easter lilies, and in 

 another greenhouse had eaten the bark from the stems of poinsettias. 

 In Germany this species bit off the tips of the aerial roots and ate the 

 petals of orchids (Zacher, 1920). Lucas (1923) reported damage to 

 cucumber plants in a greenhouse in Surrey. Damage by P. surinamen- 



