''Blaberus'' is a genus of
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 ...
es generally found in South America. About 19 species are in the genus, and they are popular among hobbyists as feed for other arthropods (''
Blaberus discoidalis
''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 native to Central America of the “giant cockroach” ...
'' in particular serves this function) or as pets. Unlike several genera of cockroaches considered to be pests, this genus keeps its
ootheca
An ootheca (pl. ''oothecae'' ) is a type of egg mass made by any member of a variety of species including mollusks (such as ''Turbinella laevigata''), mantises, and cockroaches.
The word is a Latinized combination of ''oo-'', meaning "egg", f ...
in its abdomen until the time it hatches. They generally require a relative humidity of 60% or higher to thrive and temperatures above 25 °C (28-30 °C is best) to reproduce.
''Blaberus giganteus'' is one of the world's longest roaches. ''B. craniifers popular name, "death's head roach" is often attributed to ''B. discoidalis'', as well.
This genus contains these species:
* ''
Blaberus affinis''
Jurberg, Albuquerque, Rebordoes, Goncalves & Felippe, 1977
* ''
Blaberus anisitsi''
Brancsik, 1898
* ''
Blaberus asellus''
(Thunberg, 1826)
* ''
Blaberus atropos''
(Stoll, 1813) (= "''Blaberus fusca''")
* ''
Blaberus boliviensis''
Princis, 1946
* ''
Blaberus brasilianus''
Saussure, 1864
* ''
Blaberus colosseus''
(Illiger, 1801)
* ''
Blaberus craniifer
The death's head cockroach (''Blaberus craniifer'') is a species of cockroach belonging to the family Blaberidae. It is often confused with the discoid cockroach, ''Blaberus discoidalis'', due to its similar appearance. It is distinguished by jet ...
''
Burmeister, 1838
* ''
Blaberus discoidalis
''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 native to Central America of the “giant cockroach” ...
''
Serville, 1839
* ''
Blaberus duckei''
Jurberg, Albuquerque, Rebordoes, Goncalves & Felippe, 1977
* ''
Blaberus fusiformis''
Walker, 1868
* ''
Blaberus giganteus
''Blaberus giganteus'', the Central American giant cave cockroach or Brazilian cockroach, is a cockroach belonging to the family Blaberidae.
Description
''Blaberus giganteus'' is considered one of the largest cockroaches in the world, with mal ...
''
(Linnaeus, 1758)
* ''
Blaberus latissimus''
(Herbst, 1786)
* ''
Blaberus matogrossensis''
Rocha e Silva & Aguiar, 1977
* ''
Blaberus minor''
Saussure, 1864
* ''
Blaberus parabolicus''
Walker, 1868
* ''
Blaberus paulistanus''
Lopes & de Oliveira, 2000
* ''
Blaberus peruvianus''
Jurberg, Albuquerque, Rebordoes, Goncalves & Felippe, 1977
* ''
Blaberus scutatus''
Saussure & Zehntner, 1894
References
Cockroach genera
{{Cockroach-stub