COCKROACHES 



377 



abdomen, the tegmina often showing a reddish yelloAv cast. The female 

 is noticeably larger than the male, of a more uniformly black color and 

 provided with tegmina only, and these very short, being only about as 

 long as the pronotum. In addition to the larger size and the shorter 

 tegmina, the female can be readily distinguished from the male by the 

 ventral surface of the terminal segment of the abdomen, which is plane 

 in the male and divided longitudinally for its entire length in the female. 

 This species is truly a gregarious insect, all stages living amicably 

 together and often in incredible numbers where conditions are favorable 

 for its occurrence. It is especially prevalent in cities, being, like the 



Fig. 71. — The Oriental roach, Blatta orientalis: a, Female; b. male; r, side view of fe- 

 male; (I. half -grown specimen. All natural size. (Marlatt.) From U. S. Dept. 

 Agr., Farmers' Bull. 658, figs. 1, 4. 



other domesticated species, less generally abundant in rural sections. It 

 is a lover of warm, damp, unclean locations and often abounds in cheap 

 restaurants and such places. The female may deposit a number of egg- 

 cases a season, each containing about sixteen eggs, and breeding is con- 

 tinuous when conditions of warmth, etc., are favorable. 



Blattella germanica (Linnaeus), Caudell (fig. 72) 



The German roach, or Croton bug, vies with the oriental roach in its 

 importance as a household pest. It enjoys about as wide a distribution 

 as its larger relative and in some sections it is the more important of the 

 two. It is decidedly smaller than orientalis, the male being about one-half 

 inch long and the female a little longer. The general color is yellowish 



