Types of cockroaches. There are such different types of cockroaches: domestic, tropical, forest and even flying. Photos and descriptions of all varieties Which order does the red cockroach belong to?
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Different kinds From time immemorial, cockroaches have lived in human homes; once the insect was considered a symbol of wealth, but now it is an unpleasant guest, causing a lot of trouble and spreading infection. What attracts them to our apartments? The answer is obvious. This is warmth and a lot of food, they cannot survive in winter natural conditions, and finding food is problematic.
Any cockroach living near a person has a whole set of features characteristic of any of the species:
- The cockroach goes through three stages of development; a larva emerges from the egg and turns into adult insect- imago;
- Externally, the imago and larvae are similar;
- Female cockroaches have edema to brood eggs;
- The cockroach's mustache helps it not to get lost in space;
- The insect is capable of chewing and digesting any food;
- For a long time you can simply not notice them, thanks to high speed movement, the ability to hide in cracks and crevices and high activity mainly at night.
How to recognize a cockroach
There are a great variety of insects in nature, and a person encountering a cockroach for the first time may not recognize the enemy by sight. How do you know that it is a cockroach? So, character traits insect:
- The length of the oblong or oval body is 4mm -10 cm;
- The head is not round, but flat, in the shape of a heart or triangle;
- The mouthparts of the gnawing type are covered with a shield.
The photo shows the types of cockroaches that may end up in an apartment.
Where do cockroaches come from?
Of the five thousand varieties of cockroaches, only a few of them live in houses and apartments in Russia. Why do they choose your apartment to live in? In each case the reason is individual:
- Dishes periodically left overnight in the sink;
- Migrating individuals from neighbors;
- Accumulated trash and food waste;
- A cockroach brought from the street or from guests and much more.
Once at least one cockroach has entered the room, there is a high probability that their numbers will soon increase significantly. Often pests are found in clean rooms, do not forget that cockroaches are omnivores and can even feed on paper.
How to find out if there are cockroaches in your house
It may not be possible to detect pests immediately if there are still a few of them. The neighborhood will become noticeable when they begin to manage your kitchen as if they were at home. There are signs by which you can determine the presence of cockroaches in a room:
- Black dots are visible on the tiles, in the corners of the walls, on the furniture - these are insect feces;
- Look in cracks, tiny crevices and all corners for cockroach eggs;
- Cockroaches are sometimes accompanied by a specific smell.
Find out which cockroach has settled in your apartment
Cockroaches are the most common synatropic insects. But among several thousand species, not all live at home. The most common cockroach in our homes is the red cockroach, less often the black and American cockroaches. In the south and in the tropics, other species wander into houses, but they cannot be called synatropic; rather, they are random guests. Since the domestic cockroach looks different, depending on the variety, here is short description and photos of each of the common types.
Types of cockroaches in the apartment (photo)
Prusak - red cockroach
We looked at common types of cockroaches living in apartments, but it is possible that you may come across a specimen that is not on this list.
Watch a video about the Madagascar hissing cockroach
Greetings dear readers of my blog. In today's article we will look at the structure of a cockroach and the physiological characteristics of this insect. Just imagine - on globe There are more than 7,000 species of cockroaches, and the most common in our latitudes are the red and black cockroaches. These are the ones that will be discussed in this article.
External structure of a cockroach
Despite the huge number of species, all insects of the cockroach order have a similar structure. The main differences are usually the size and color of the insect, but the internal anatomy is almost the same between black and red cockroaches.
Nature has given these creatures excellent help in order to crawl into the crack under the densest plinth - an elongated and flat body. It is divided into the abdomen, thorax (which consists of prothorax, mesothorax and metathorax) and head. In addition, each insect has a pair of wings. Did you know that cockroaches can fly? Below I will tell you how the wings of this creature are structured, what importance the wings have for the reproduction of offspring, and why only males can fly.
Head
I propose to start studying cockroach anatomy from the head, which in most individuals is quite large and has the shape of an oval or rounded triangle. From above it is covered by a shield-shaped anterior segment of the chest, from under which only the back of the head is visible, and the rest of the head is turned downwards.
Eyes
On the sides of the head there are paired compound eyes, and on top there are two simple eyes, which are poorly developed in most species. By the way, thanks to the structural features of their eyes, cockroaches see the world like a mosaic assembled from thousands of small multi-colored pieces. And although such vision does not allow one to distinguish the details of an object, the so-called perception of light flickers in a cockroach is 5 times higher than that of a human.
This is why it is so difficult to overtake an insect with a slipper or newspaper - even the most fast man For cockroaches it’s like a fly stuck in jam. In short, if you've ever asked yourself why these creatures almost always manage to escape punishment, now you know the answer.
Mustache
In children's horror stories, the cockroach is always depicted as a mustachioed monster, and it is not for nothing that so much attention is given to the mustache. It is the antennae that are the organ of thermal sensitivity, touch and smell. They are also used as a means of communication between individuals: by touching their whiskers, cockroaches exchange information. The whiskers are of considerable length and covered with bristles, the number of which increases with each molt and reaches 80 by the age of maturity. 
Mouth
Despite small size, red and black cockroach bites can be noticeable and even painful. The fact is that the oral apparatus of these creatures is of the gnawing type and has sufficient complex structure, and each part has its own special purpose:
- labrum, or upper lip - articulated with the head in a movable manner, covered from the inside with receptors that analyze the composition of food;
- mandibles, or lower jaw - curved, fairly massive plates, covered with sharp teeth, their purpose is to hold a piece of food;
- maxillae, or upper jaws - located above the lower jaws, necessary for grinding food and chewing;
- labium, or lower lip - surrounds the oral apparatus from below, prevents food from falling.
Reading on the topic: Who is the black cockroach and where did it come from in your home?
On the outside of the lower lip there are special receptors (tactile and taste), which are necessary for searching, detecting and analyzing food.
In addition to the complex jaw, the insect’s mouth contains a salivary gland and a tongue-like organ that helps absorb liquid. As you can see, the mouthparts of a cockroach are an ideal tool for searching for and destroying bread crumbs even on the most clean kitchen. No wonder this type insects are considered the most tenacious. 
Breast
On the chest of cockroaches there are wings, elytra and three pairs of legs. The chest consists of three segments, the largest of which is the first - the so-called pronotum. On the sides of this convex hexagonal segment there are depressions where the elytra are placed. Most often the pronotum has more light color compared to the rest of the body, and in some species this part is even transparent.
Legs
As for the insect’s legs, they are located on different segments of the thorax, consist of five parts and are called “pentamerous.” On the four upper segments of the legs there are pads, and on the lower one there are claws, between which there is also a suction cup.
This structure of the paws helps the insect to easily move on any surface - both horizontal and vertical. Moreover, on the paws of this creature there are tiny hairs that catch even the slightest vibrations in the air, thanks to which the cockroach reacts with lightning speed to a moving object.
Strong legs allow you to develop high for such small size speed - a cockroach is capable of running at a speed of 3-4 km/h. If this figure is not surprising, imagine this: if a cockroach were the size of a cheetah, it could easily catch up with a member of the cat family.
In addition, the peculiarity of the legs determines the high maneuverability of the insect: cockroaches are able to change their movement pattern with lightning speed. Depending on their location, each pair of legs has its own special purpose:
- the prothoracic legs are shorter than all the others, they serve as a kind of brake at high speed of the cockroach;
- the mid-thoracic legs are responsible for high maneuverability, as they are able to move in different directions;
- The metathoracic tarsi are longer than the other two pairs, move the cockroach’s body forward and are the main walking limbs.
Wings
Two pairs of wings are attached to the cockroach's chest. On top there are hard elytra, designed to cover the abdomen and thinner wings. Interestingly, the length of the male's wings is significantly greater than the length of the female's wings. Cockroaches use their wings to accelerate while moving and also to slow down their fall.
Reading on the topic: White cockroaches or a scary mutant
Fortunately, only one species of cockroaches can fly, but for all the others, their wings are useful for mating games. This is why the male’s wings are longer: during mating, the spread wings form a convenient platform for the larger female.
Abdomen
The abdomen of a cockroach has 11 so-called tergites (segments), but only 8-9 can be distinguished. The tenth segment forms a plate that covers the anus. In females, the abdomen continues with the ootheca - eggs (about 12-16) are stored in this segment. This part of the body has the shape of an oval, and due to its impressive size it is always noticeable and is an obvious difference between a female and a male. It is noteworthy that with sufficient nutrition, the female is capable of producing ootheca every two to three days. 
Internal structure of a cockroach
You've probably heard that cockroaches can live without a head for a whole week, or even a month. But you hardly know what physiological features make this possible. Below I will talk about how these work amazing insects from the inside, and why cockroaches feel great even after they have been decapitated.
Digestive system
We already know how the jaws of the black and red cockroach are structured, but what happens to the food next? As I said, the mouth contains salivary glands that secrete saliva to soften and moisten food before swallowing. It is noteworthy that what is eaten will be partially digested in the insect’s crop, and the stomach will do the rest.
Thanks to its muscular structure, it seems to “grind” food, sending it then to the midgut, then to the hindgut and to the excretory system. The intestines of cockroaches are populated by bacteria and fungi, thanks to which the insect is able to digest even inorganic compounds.
Interestingly, the cockroach does not need to chew its food too thoroughly - in the part of the foregut located immediately behind the mouth, there is a row of teeth that will certainly thoroughly crush what it swallows in a hurry.
Cockroaches do not have a urethra, so both feces and urine are excreted through the anus.
Circulatory system
The circulatory system of cockroaches belongs to open type, and the blood of these creatures has White color and is called "hemolymph". Blood circulates freely inside the body, washing everything internal organs. The movement of hemolymph is due to the work of the heart, and the speed of blood circulation is very slow, due to which the cockroach is very sensitive to environmental temperature. 
Respiratory system
The cockroach breathes using spiracles - these are 10 pairs of small holes that are located on the sides of the abdomen. The spiracles continue with tracheoles - tubes that form a system and connect into six large tracheal trunks. This structure of the respiratory system allows oxygen to be diffusely supplied to all internal organs.
Considering cockroaches not out of entomological interest, but in the context of fighting them as uninvited guests in our homes, it is worth omitting the description of several thousand species living on the planet.
Information about the types of cockroaches is structured as follows:
There remain relatively few of those who have been annoying people for centuries with their intrusive proximity. Living conditions in close contact with people turned out to be more attractive than in wildlife. And now people are forced to protect their homes from annoying and very tenacious representatives of the fauna.
What do domestic cockroaches have in common?
The main thing common to all is secrecy, which gives time to insects that have chosen a new place to breed in sufficient numbers. Then local losses of individuals will not have catastrophic consequences for the entire population. The speed of reproduction also contributes to this.
The nocturnal lifestyle also helps cockroaches survive in conditions of constant danger posed by those at whose expense they feed, so it is much easier to avoid unnecessary encounters. A narrow, flat body and great agility make it possible to quickly hide in various cracks and voids.
External data:- elongated oval body up to 13 millimeters long;
- mustache exceeding body length;
- pronounced Brown color, with variations from light to dark.
The Prussian, as it is also called, feeds on almost everything that lies poorly. The freshness of the products does not play a special role. Living in human habitation, it goes out hunting at night, picking up the remains of dinner, cleaning dirty dishes and everything that can store a certain amount of nutrients. It can sneak into places that the owners thought were inaccessible, such as bread bins, closed containers, and even refrigerators. 
And by putting food out of reach and carefully wiping all the crumbs off the table, a person will not leave the red cockroach hungry. He will find something to profit from in the trash can or inside kitchen stove. Omnivorousness allows them to survive even on flowers on the windowsill or soap on the washbasin. In addition, they know how to starve, going without food for up to a month, but what they cannot live without for so long is water.
Acceptable room temperature - from 15 to 30 degrees Celsius and constant access to water sources, not to mention affordable food, make our kitchens ideal place for the red barbel. And the presence of all kinds of shelters, which abound in furniture, baseboards, wallpaper, heating radiators and water supply pipes, allow them to multiply at the speed of which they are only capable.
The closest relative of the Prussian, and almost not inferior to it in terms of the degree of dependence on humans. This species, however, is more wild, and settles in dwellings, driven by cold and hunger from garbage containers, basements and sewers. This may be why it is almost never found in apartments located above the fifth floor.
Distinctive features:
- oval flat body up to 3 centimeters long in the imago;
- relatively short limbs with suckers;
- shiny black or dark brown color.
- sewer drains and water supply pipes;
- air ducts and ventilation;
- cracks along baseboards, window and door openings.
Due to the degree of danger infectious diseases, transmitted by black cockroaches, they are more dangerous to humans than the Prussians, despite the wider population of the latter.
No, these are not albinos, like some animals, and not even a separate group. This is a cockroach that has lost its chitinous shell and has not had time to acquire a new one. The molting process in these insects occurs about 8 times in their life, and at this time the cockroach is extremely vulnerable.
As never before, it goes particularly deep into hiding until its chitinous layer is restored and it gradually darkens, its usual color. All types of cockroaches that live in people's homes are subject to this metamorphosis. 
It also happens that this is a surviving victim of exposure to chemical reagents, as a result of a person’s own insecticidal treatment of your home. In such cases, the color of the insect is not restored. Photo white cockroach: 
American cockroach
Contrary to its name, it is a native of Africa, brought to the American continent, and then to Europe, thanks to the rapidly developing maritime trade. Traveling in bales and boxes of goods, they settled almost all over the world.
Initially a wild species, the American cockroach quickly adapted to new development conditions and became no less dependent on humans than the rest synanthropic species. In cohabitation with people, they are attracted by the same easily accessible water, food and acceptable temperature limits. But the American's are still much lower than those of red Prussians or black omnivores. It cannot withstand the slightest negative temperatures. 
Even larger than the black one, it surpasses even the red one in speed of movement, and has a very aggressive disposition.
Furniture cockroaches
Recently open view, it has a red color and wings with brown stripes. He is distinguished by complete indifference to the food of a person with whom he is connected by a love of books. In bindings, as well as in wallpaper glue, he finds his favorite starch, which he mainly feeds on.
Turkmen and Egyptian cockroaches
Residents of the southern regions of Russia and Central Asia are probably familiar with this species of cockroach, which is quite rare in the cooler latitudes of our country. 
At home, they live in livestock pens and poultry houses, but they can also migrate to human homes.
In our article we will look at the structure of cockroaches. Traditionally, very unpleasant associations are associated with these insects. But in fact, these animals have a number of unique characteristics. Let's talk about this.
Classification
The structural features of cockroaches determine their systematic position. These animals are representatives of the Arthropoda phylum, the Tracheinobreathing subtype, the Insect class, and the Cockroach order.
Like other representatives of this systematic unit, their characteristic features are the presence of three parts of the body - head, trunk and abdomen, fat body in the cavity, striated muscles and the exoskeleton in the form of a cuticle.
Etymology
The name of this insect appears in several languages. On this moment scientists have been unable to establish the exact origin of this word. Translated from Chuvash it is translated as “running away”. And this is no coincidence. Cockroaches hold the record for fastest movement among all land insects.
And it is very difficult to catch him. The fact is that in a second, cockroaches can change the trajectory of their movement more than two dozen times. Perhaps that is why, translated from the Turkic language, its name means “to diverge.”
Habitat
There are more than 4 thousand species of these insects in nature. Despite such diversity, the structure of cockroaches and their lifestyle are similar: they all love warmth and moisture. Therefore, most species live in the tropics. Selected species adapted to cold climate northern regions, where they feed on moss and lichen. There are also known cave cockroaches that have lost the ability to see.
Sinanthropus animals
According to popular belief If cockroaches have settled in the house, this means wealth and prosperity. It is unlikely that those who have ever tried to get rid of these annoying insects will agree with this. Since ancient times, cockroaches have settled in human dwellings. After all, it provides these animals with everything they need: constant temperature, moisture and food. Animals that live with humans are called synanthropes. In addition to this species, these include ticks, flies, mosquitoes, mice, pigeons, and ants.
External structure of a cockroach
A distinctive feature of this type of insect is the oval shape of the body. Its dimensions vary from 2 to 9 cm. The head is triangular and flat. In front it is protected by the pronotum. There are eyes on the sides of the head, which allows these creatures to see in all directions.
A distinctive feature of the structure of cockroaches is the gnawing type of mouthparts. They consist of paired upper and lower jaws and two unpaired lips. This type of mouthparts is designed for grinding any type of food. This is possible due to the presence of numerous chitinous teeth on the jaws. There is also one pair of bristly antennae on the head.
The thoracic region is represented by three segments, to which a pair of legs is attached. Running type limbs. Each leg consists of five segments and ends in claws. This structure allows cockroaches to move even on steep surfaces.
On the chest there are wings - double lamellar folds of integument.
The structure of the wings of cockroaches has its own characteristics. By origin they are double lamellar folds of integument. On the outside, they are protected by dense elytra, which have tube-like thickenings - veins. These structures perform a supporting function. The wings are thin, mesh. In some species aircraft reduced
The abdomen of cockroaches consists of 8-10 segments. In each of them there are nerve nodes and spiracles - openings through which the trachea opens outwards. This structure explains the fact that cockroaches can live for a long time without a head.
The abdomen ends in a special structure - the cerci. Visually, it resembles a bristly antennae. Its presence is proof ancient origin cockroaches The sex of these animals can be determined by the structure of the abdomen. In males, the genital plate is located here, but in females the ovipositor is located inside the body.
Cockroaches are represented by the cuticle. The middle layer of this substance contains pigments that determine the body color of insects. Cockroaches can be black, red, white, or yellowish-brown.
Features of the internal structure
The organ systems of cockroaches are typical of insects. The muscles are well developed, capable of contracting at high frequencies. For example, the American cockroach is capable of covering a distance of 75 centimeters in a second. On the limbs of these insects there are thin hairs that perceive even the slightest air movement. Therefore, cockroaches are quite difficult to catch.
The digestive system is through-type. In cockroaches, the structure of its organs has the same plan as in all arthropods. But all insects have developed salivary glands, but lack a liver. The organs of the digestive tract include the oral cavity, subpharynx, pharynx, esophagus, crop, gizzard, and intestines. From the last section, undigested products enter the excretory system, which is represented by the Malpighian vessels. The presence of a goiter and a complex process of splitting organic matter allows cockroaches to live for several weeks without food.
The circulatory system is not closed. It is represented by a tubular heart and a single vessel. The blood is colorless. It mixes with the cavity fluid, forming hemolymph. This primitive structure is explained by the fact that the gas exchange function is carried out by respiratory system, represented by spiracles. There are ten pairs in total.
What is a fat body
The internal structure of the cockroach is characterized by the presence of loose connective tissue in the body cavity. It is called the fat body. This tissue occupies all the space between the internal organs.
The cells of the fat body are trophocytes. Their cytoplasm contains various inclusions. Thanks to this structure, this tissue participates in metabolic processes, the accumulation of fats, carbohydrates, and calcium compounds.
Uninvited guests
The structural features of cockroaches and physiology determine their favorite habitat - human habitation. Everything is here comfortable conditions: warmth, water and darkness.
Getting rid of cockroaches is often quite difficult. They get into the smallest crevices, cracks, cavities in wallpaper or ceramic tiles. Therefore process chemicals you will need all the hard-to-reach places.
Reproduction
Cockroaches are dioecious individuals with noticeable sexual dimorphism. The latter is manifested in morphological differences between males and females. Anyone can identify them. The male is smaller. Its wings are better developed, which allows it to fly short distances. The last segment on the male's abdomen has specialized outgrowths called styli.
The structure of cockroaches determines their ability to internal fertilization. After mating, the female lays eggs covered with a protective membrane - edema. This is typical for cockroaches. This means that the eggs hatch into larvae that look like adult insects. It is called imago. At first the larva is deprived of wings. It grows, molts and develops into an adult insect. This period lasts about four weeks. Individuals become sexually mature only after three months.
Cockroaches are very prolific. Over the course of her life, one female gives birth to more than a hundred individuals. She lays eggs repeatedly. And for this she does not have to constantly mate. The fact is that sperm can be stored in the female genital ducts for a long time.
Species diversity
They are not fiction. This kind actually exists. They acquire this unusual color for these insects as a result of molting. Over time they darken.
Furniture is special. It has a bright red color. The wings of such an insect are transparent, with brown stripes on them. His favorite treat is starch and everything that contains it. These are mainly book bindings. Therefore, they settle not in kitchens, but in libraries and archives.
The most common species in the south is the Central Asian cockroach. It can be recognized by its yellow head and dark belly. They jump high and are able to fly short distances. It is practically omnivorous and feeds on leftover food, plants and waste.
So, the peculiarity of the structure of cockroaches is the presence of three parts of the body, a dense chitinous cover, six walking legs and a pair of wings. are synanthropic animals. This means that cockroaches prefer to settle in human dwellings. Here they have all the comfortable conditions: warmth, moisture, darkness and a sufficient amount of food waste.