94 
Psyche 
[June 
polyphagids may have considerable value in the taxonomy of the 
Polyphagidae and should add considerably to our knowledge of the 
evolution of the egg case in the Blattaria. 
I consider the rotation of the ootheca as it is found in the Blattell- 
idae ( Blattellinae, Ectobiinae, and Nyctiborinae) and all of the 
Blaberidae to be an advanced type, because once rotated, the anterior 
eggs (those leaving the oviduct last) covered by the oothecal mem- 
brane are in close contact with tissues in the female’s vestibulum 
(Figs. 2,3). This contact was essential for the evolution of ovovivi- 
parity and viviparity, because in species like Blattella, the eggs obtain 
water from the female while the ootheca is carried externally during 
embryogenesis. I have seen a female of Chorisia fulvotestacea Princis 
carrying a transparent ootheca, with the keel laterad, containing well 
developed embryos. The ootheca of Chorisia is also very similar to 
Blattella. 
Shelford (1913) noted that a female of Temnopteryx abyssinica 
Saussure and Zehntner was carrying an ootheca with the keel directed 
to one side, and the egg case was so transparent that the eyes of the 
enclosed embryos were visible. This type of oviposition would be 
similar to that found in Blattella and Chorisia. Shelford placed T. 
abyssinica in synonymy with Hemithyrsocera circumcincta (Reiche 
and Fairmaire). Rehn (1933) made Blatta circumcincta R. and F. 
the type of the genus Burchellia. Princis (1962) placed Burchellia 
in the Ectobiidae (this would probably be the Ectobiinae in Mc- 
Kittrick’s (1964) classification) . As far as I know none of the 
Ectobiinae have transparent oothecae that are carried for the entire 
embryo-genetic period. Princis (personal communication) states that 
“Whether Shelford was correct in synonymizing T'emnopteryx 
abyssinica Sauss. and Zhnt. under Burchellia circumcincta (R. and 
F.) is somewhat doubtful. Although Shelford had examined the type 
of abyssinica , he placed the species under B. circumcincta with a 
query. It seems that Shelford himself was uncertain.” 
In discussing oviposition by present day oviparous cockroaches, 
Laurentiaux (1959) stated that the ootheca is generally carried for 
a month or longer attached to the female before she abandons it. 
This is not true for most oviparous species which drop their oothecae 
within a few days after forming them. Carrying the ootheca during 
the entire embryogenetic period can be considered to be the most 
advanced type of oviposition behavior among oviparous Blattaria and 
is comparatively rare (at present this is known to occur only in 
Blattella and Chorisia). 
