6 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 134 
P. americana and P. brunnea (Sein, 1923). P. australasiae is gen- 
erally domiciliary, but it also occurs in various outdoor hiding places 
in the West Indies (Rehn and Hebard, 1927) ; its habits are similar 
in Florida (Hebard, 1917). It is very abundant in tropical Africa 
and tropical America under domiciliary conditions (Rehn, 1945). In 
Ecuador it is one of the commonest cockroaches in kitchens and 
pantries of houses (Campos, 1926). 
Periplaneta brunnea. This species is a circumtropical domiciliary 
pest that in this country is established in Florida, Georgia, and Texas 
(Hebard, 1917). “It is widely distributed in the American tropics and 
also those of the Old World, often occurring with americana.” 
(J. A. G. Rehn im Mallis, 1954.) According to Sein (1923), the 
habits of this species are identical to those of P. americana in Puerto 
Rico. 
Periplaneta ignota. In Brisbane, Australia, this species is occa- 
sionally found in dwellings (Pope, 1953). 
Polyphaga saussurei. This species appears to be one of the com- 
monest domiciliary cockroaches in south-central Asia (Bei-Bienko, 
1950). It apparently feeds on human feces, because human cestode 
eggs have been found in its intestine (Zmeev, 1936). 
Pycnoscelus surinamensis. This is a circumtropical species whose 
range extends into subtropical regions (Rehn, 1945). In the United 
States it is established in parts of Florida, Louisiana, and Texas, and 
occasionally becomes established farther north in greenhouses or other 
structures that are heated during the winter months (Hebard, 1917). 
In Tanganyika it is sometimes found in enormous numbers in huts, 
infesting baskets of stored millet, African beer, or the remains of a 
meal (Smith, 1955). Uichanco (1953) cited it as a household pest 
in the Philippines. P. surinamensis is less likely to occur withindoors 
than under stones, boards, and other loose trash (Rehn, 1945). This 
species also burrows into the soil. 
Shelfordella tartara. This common species of Central Asia is often 
found in houses having clay floors; it may be of epidemiological im- 
portance because of its domiciliary habit (Bei-Bienko, 1950). 
In temperate climates domiciliary cockroaches tend to establish 
themselves in heated buildings, but during summer months they may 
breed prolifically out-of-doors. In tropical and subtropical climates — 
breeding may occur outdoors or in unheated structures the year 
around. Cockroaches generally congregate in dark, sheltered areas 
that afford them suitable microclimates and easy access to food. Pre- 
sumably it is the search for these amenities that results in the dis- 
persal of cockroaches into new areas. 
