''Blaberus discoidalis'', commonly known as the discoid cockroach, tropical cockroach, West Indian leaf cockroach, false death's head cockroach, Haitian cockroach, and drummer, is a

cockroach Cockroaches (or roaches) are a paraphyletic group of insects belonging to Blattodea, containing all members of the group except termites. About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are well-known as ...

native to Central America of the “giant cockroach” family,

Blaberidae Giant cockroaches, or blaberids (family Blaberidae) are the second-largest cockroach family by number of species. Notable species Notable species within this family include: * Cape mountain cockroach – ''Aptera fusca'' * Dwarf cave cockroa ...

. The adult is around in length, and is tan with a dark brown to black patch on its

pronotum The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum (dorsal), the prosternum (ventral), and the propleuron (lateral) on ea ...

. The juvenile is brown with tan speckles, and matures to adulthood in 4–5 months. Adults have wings but are not active fliers, and they can not climb smooth vertical surfaces, simplifying their care in captivity. ''Blaberus discoidalis'' is called the false death's head cockroach because of its superficial resemblance to the death's head cockroach, ''Blaberus craniifer''.

Distribution

Washington DC Zoo - Blaberus discoidalis 1

''Blaberus discoidalis'' is found in Jamaica, Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico (Vieques Island), Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, and Florida.

Locomotion

The movement of ''B. discoidalis'' runs relatively inefficiently - wasting movement as it runs. It can move about 25 of its body lengths per second, around half the speed of common cockroach ''Periplaneta americana''. In laboratory tests, ''B. discoidalis'' cockroaches were adept at obstacle climbing, and maintaining stability with miniature “cannons” strapped to their bodies designed to knock them off balance mid-run. The species served as the basis for the kinematics design of several cockroach-inspired robots.

Uses

Pet food

They are very easy to raise in captivity, so make good feed for

insectivorous A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores were ...

pets such as

tarantulas Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,040 species have been identified, with 156 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although m ...

bearded dragon ''Pogona'' is a genus of reptiles containing six lizard species which are often known by the common name bearded dragons. The name "bearded dragon" refers to the underside of the throat (or "beard") of the lizard, which can turn black and gain we ...

s, and other lizards. These animals breed readily in captivity. They reach breeding age in about 6 months if kept warm, with 85–90 °F recommended for more productive breeding. Females carry their eggs inside a brooding pouch having genital chamber and vestibulum until they are fertilised by male spermatophore.

Insect eating competitions

Discoid cockroaches are also used in insect eating competitions since they are often raised in captivity and are easier to gather in large numbers during a contest. In 2012, Edward Archibold died as a result of 'asphyxia due to choking and aspiration of gastric contents,' according to his autopsy report, in a cockroach eating contest in south Florida.

Fuel cell

''Blaberus discoidalis'' was used in an experiment to create a miniature

fuel cell A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cells are different from most batteries in requ ...

, producing electricity from naturally occurring sugar in the insect and oxygen in the air. The power density of the species is considered a good design target for small robots.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q654133 Cockroaches Insects described in 1839 Insects of Haiti Insects of the Dominican Republic