1985] 
Wendelken & Barth — Pseudofemale behavior 
495 
This paper discusses the significance of a previously unreported 
form of pseudofemale behavior in the neotropical cockroach genera 
Blaberus, Archimandrita, and Byrsotria. These genera belong to the 
Tribe Blaberini (Blaberidae, Blaberinae) according to Roth (1970a). 
Materials and Methods 
Stock cultures were maintained as described by Barth (1964) for 
Byrsotria fumigata. Observations of behavior were made during the 
dark phase of a 12 hour day/ night cycle under red illumination in 
specially designed observation chambers constructed of transparent 
lucite plastic (39.5 X 26.8 X 14.5 cm deep) with a removable center 
partition dividing the chamber into two halves allowing segregation 
of the sexes prior to an observation period (for details, see Barth 
1964). 
Courtship in Tribe Blaberini 
Very elaborate and complex preliminary male courtship behavior 
is found in Blaberus discoidalis Serville, B. parabolicus Walker, B. 
giganteus (L.), B. craniifer Burmeister, Archimandrita tessellata 
Rehn, and Byrsotria fumigata. In addition, in these species there is 
frequently vigorous aggressive behavior between males at the site of 
courtship of a female. These phenomena are considered to be a 
consequence of sexual selection acting on the males. “Sexual selec- 
tion” here refers to a selective advantage for characters producing a 
competitively unequal advantage in both epigamic and intrasexual 
interactions associated with mating behavior. In spite of the 
complexities of male behavior in these species, the terminal events 
leading to copulation (the copulation sequence) follow a basic cock- 
roach pattern (Wendelken 1976). Preliminary male courtship behav- 
iors are released by a female sex pheromone (Barth 1964, 1970; 
Wendelken 1976). If a courted female is receptive, she signals recep- 
tivity by moving or turning toward the courting male and simul- 
taneously antennating him. This receptive female behavior releases 
the male’s culminating courtship display: the “full wing raising dis- 
play.” In the full wing raising display, the male pivots 180 degrees to 
face away from the female and simultaneously raises his wings to a 
vertical position. The receptive female, in probable response to a 
male sex pheromone, then proceeds to “mount and feed” in a for- 
ward direction over the exposed dorsal surface of the male’s abdo- 
