196 



KEPORT OF STATE GEOLOGIST. 



General color, light reddish hrown. Pronotum broadly margined 

 on the sides and narrowly in front with yellow, thus enclosing a large, 

 hi-lobed brown spot. Tegmina and wings reaching much beyond the 

 abdomen in both sexes. Supra-anal plate of female more pointed 

 and median notch narrower and deeper than in B. oricnfolis. 



Measurements: Length of body, male, 27 mm., female, 30 mm.; 

 of pronotum, 8 mm.; of tegmina, male ajid female, 37.5 mm.; width 

 of pronotum, 10.5 mm. 



Fig. 31. Periplnneta amcricina; a, y'lcw from above; b, from beneath: both enlarged 

 one-third. From "Household Insects," Published by V. S. Div. Entomology. 



The American cockroach is, as its specific name indicates, a native 

 of tropical and sub-tropical America; but, like B. oricntalis, it has 

 spread to tlic four corners of the earth. It is by far the largest spe- 

 cies found in the State, but is much less common than oricntalis, as I 

 have specimens from but two counties, Putnam and Marion. It 

 doubtless occurs, however, in all the larger towns of the State. It 

 is found in numbers in some of the leading hotels of Indianapolis, 

 but usually confines itself to the basement and first floor, and appears 

 to be much more cleanly in its choice of an abiding place than does 

 the closely allied Oriental roach. 



Catesby, as far back as 1748, wrote of this species in Carolina as 

 follows: 



