320 
Psyche 
[December 
dorsally with a darker abdomen. The males are more slender and 
winged, and their tegmina extend beyond the abdominal tip. They 
are light brown in dorsal coloration. 
There seem to be no previous accounts of the mating behavior of 
this species in the literature although a brief account of the court- 
ship behavior of Parcoblatta virginica (Brunner) is given by Roth 
and Willis (1958). According to their description, males of P. 
virginica raise their wings after contacting the female with their 
antennae. The female, attracted by the secretion of the male tergal 
gland, mounts and feeds until she reaches the first abdominal tergite 
of the male at which time genital connection is achieved ; this is 
followed by assumption of the opposed position. 
Description of Normal Mating Behavior 
The following description is based on observations of 5 sequences 
resulting in successful copulation and numerous unsuccessful copu- 
lation attempts. 
1. Behavior of males triggered by olfactory reception of female sex 
pheromone 
Upon olfactory reception of the volatile female sex pheromone, 
males exhibit sexual arousal by assuming an alert posture and 
increasing the rate of antennal waving. Oriented locomotion to the 
pheromone source ensues. Without reference to contact with females 
the behavior of sexually aroused males is characterized by rapid 
locomotion, frequent flying, and wing raising. 
The manner in which the male flies is variable. Some flights cover 
more distance than others. For example, a male may fly across the 
mating chamber or upward to an inverted landing on the underside 
of the lucite covers atop the chamber. Other flights are more cir- 
cumscribed, the male flying several inches upward and then return- 
ing to the substratum. During some of these flights, the male pivots 
to face in the opposite direction and then lands; this often results 
in the male landing on his back. 
In addition to rapid running and flying, sexually excited males 
show a great deal of wing raising of a quite variable nature. When 
the wings are raised, the angle formed by the wings and the 
abdomen varies between 20 and 80 degrees. The wings may 
be raised and lowered quite rapidly in what is essentially a 
pumping motion. This cycle of wing raising and lowering may be 
repeated a number of times in quick succession. On the other hand, 
the wings may remain in the elevated position for a brief period. And 
