﻿50 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM 
  vol. 
  io3 
  

  

  are 
  breeding 
  in 
  this 
  house." 
  It 
  was 
  also 
  noted 
  that 
  the 
  Harlem 
  roaches 
  

   appeared 
  rather 
  sluggish 
  in 
  their 
  movements. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  biological 
  studies 
  of 
  L. 
  maderae 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  it 
  

   is 
  instructive 
  to 
  review 
  the 
  observations 
  of 
  life 
  history 
  and 
  habits 
  

   that 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  elsewhere, 
  particularly 
  the 
  papers 
  of 
  Illingworth 
  

   (1915), 
  Sein 
  (1923), 
  and 
  Pessoa 
  and 
  Correa 
  (1928). 
  

  

  As 
  is 
  true 
  of 
  species 
  of 
  PeHplaneta^ 
  growth 
  in 
  the 
  Madeira 
  roach 
  

   is 
  slow. 
  The 
  first 
  molt 
  may 
  occur 
  1 
  to 
  4 
  months 
  after 
  birth. 
  Pinned 
  

   nymphs 
  reared 
  by 
  Illingworth 
  in 
  Hawaii 
  and 
  now 
  deposited 
  in 
  the 
  

   U. 
  S. 
  National 
  Museum 
  suggest 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  six 
  nymphal 
  stages, 
  

   though 
  the 
  number 
  is 
  likely 
  to 
  vary, 
  and 
  in 
  cultures 
  it 
  may 
  sometimes 
  

   be 
  difficult 
  to 
  observe 
  because 
  exuviae 
  reportedly 
  are 
  eaten 
  immedi- 
  

   ately 
  after 
  each 
  molt. 
  Pessoa 
  and 
  Correa 
  report 
  only 
  four 
  "meta- 
  

   morphoses," 
  but 
  that 
  number 
  of 
  molts 
  is 
  almost 
  certainly 
  too 
  small 
  

   for 
  a 
  normal 
  growth 
  cycle. 
  The 
  body 
  length 
  in 
  millimeters 
  of 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  of 
  various 
  ages 
  collected 
  by 
  Illingworth 
  is 
  as 
  follows: 
  1 
  day, 
  

   7.5; 
  1 
  month, 
  7.5; 
  4 
  months, 
  16; 
  5 
  months, 
  18.5; 
  6 
  months, 
  24.5; 
  7 
  

   months, 
  29 
  ; 
  8 
  months, 
  30.7 
  ; 
  9 
  months, 
  32. 
  Food 
  and 
  environmental 
  

   conditions 
  are 
  doubtless 
  important 
  influences 
  on 
  growth. 
  Sein 
  notes 
  

   maturity 
  being 
  attained 
  in 
  220 
  days, 
  but 
  that 
  a 
  year 
  is 
  often 
  required, 
  

   while 
  Pessoa 
  and 
  Correa 
  indicate 
  that 
  adults 
  are 
  obtained 
  in 
  a 
  year, 
  

   with 
  16 
  to 
  18 
  months 
  the 
  longest 
  observed 
  time. 
  In 
  Sein's 
  cultures 
  

   the 
  first 
  nymphs 
  appeared 
  4 
  months 
  after 
  their 
  parents 
  matured. 
  

   Inmiediately 
  following 
  birth, 
  nymphs 
  usually 
  hide 
  beneath 
  the 
  

   mother 
  during 
  the 
  day. 
  According 
  to 
  Pessoa 
  and 
  Correa, 
  this 
  makes 
  

   the 
  adult 
  restless 
  and 
  active 
  in 
  contrast 
  to 
  its 
  usual 
  slow 
  gait. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  general 
  paper 
  emphasizing 
  the 
  adaptability 
  and 
  value 
  of 
  

   Leucophaea 
  Trmderae 
  as 
  an 
  experimental 
  animal, 
  Scharrer 
  (1951) 
  

   comments 
  that 
  it 
  thrives 
  on 
  a 
  diet 
  of 
  apples, 
  carrots, 
  and 
  dogfood. 
  

   She 
  reports 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  30 
  to 
  35 
  young 
  every 
  3 
  months, 
  that 
  there 
  

   is 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  8 
  molts, 
  and 
  that 
  life 
  expectancy 
  is 
  up 
  to 
  2V^ 
  years. 
  

   Dr. 
  Scharrer 
  has 
  observed 
  that 
  tumors 
  which 
  resemble 
  malignant 
  

   cancer 
  of 
  higher 
  animals 
  develop 
  in 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  roach 
  body 
  

   following 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  the 
  corpora 
  allata 
  and 
  the 
  corpora 
  cardiaca. 
  

   That 
  such 
  an 
  injury 
  to 
  the 
  nervous 
  system 
  has 
  produced 
  tumors 
  has 
  

   very 
  interesting 
  and 
  practical 
  implications 
  for 
  further 
  research. 
  

   The 
  name 
  "woodroach" 
  that 
  Dr. 
  Scharrer 
  applied 
  to 
  maderae 
  is 
  a 
  

   questionable 
  choice, 
  since 
  the 
  name 
  is 
  most 
  often 
  used 
  for 
  native 
  

   Nearctic 
  species 
  of 
  Parcohlatta. 
  

  

  Leucophaea 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  several 
  roach 
  genera 
  which 
  are 
  viviparous; 
  

   that 
  is, 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  enclosed 
  in 
  a 
  delicate 
  membranous 
  sac 
  which 
  nor- 
  

   mally 
  ruptures 
  before 
  extrusion 
  from 
  the 
  mother's 
  body, 
  or 
  immedi- 
  

   ately 
  thereafter, 
  so 
  that, 
  in 
  effect, 
  the 
  young 
  are 
  born 
  alive. 
  This 
  is 
  

   in 
  contrast 
  to 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  most 
  roaches 
  which 
  form 
  a 
  heavily-sclero- 
  

   tized, 
  dark-colored 
  capsule 
  or 
  ootheca, 
  usually 
  of 
  characteristic 
  shape, 
  

  

  