Insect Order: Dictyoptera

Cockroaches and Mantids

1. Dictyoptera Prepared by Dr. S. Sumaiya

2. Mainly occur in tropical and subtropical regions >5000 spp. Members fall under two suborders viz., Blattodea and M antodea Small to large terrestrial insects Several spp. of cockroaches are cosmopolitan pests Hypognathous with multi-segmented filiform antenna Mouth parts mandibulate biting type – mandibles are strong and toothed Compound eyes well developed. Reduced in few spp. Three ocelli present in mantids , but vestigeal in cockroaches- fenestrae Dictyoptera Cockroach and Mantids

3. Dictyoptera Thorax Pronotum in blattodea large shield like & usually cover the head. In mantodea it is elongate do not cover the head Meso and meta are similar Legs unmodified & similar in blattodea . In mantodea fore legs raptorial – coxa elongated, femor thickly spinose & grooved Tarsi 5 segmented in both groups Wings fully developed or shortened or absent. Forewings moderately sclerotized – tegmina . Hind wings membranous with large anal area Wing venation primitive with large no. of cross veins

4. Dictyoptera Abdomen W ith 10 visible segments 11 th reduced and represented by subdivided sternum paraproct and short multisegmented cerci 7 th sternum of ♀ and 9 th sternum of ♂ is enlarged – subgenital plate which conceals terminal abdominal structures 9 th sternum of ♂ bears a pair of styli Ovipositor reduced and concealed Lay the eggs in protective coat called ootheca

5. Blattodea Primarily nocturnal & ground dwelling insects Hide in cracks & crevices, under stones, rotting logs, decaying vegetation Few spp. live on foliage and diurnal Most of them live humid environment Some spp found in deserts and few spp. live in caves and ant nests Most of them are ominvorous – feed on variety of sugary and starchy foods. Also feed on dean animals. Few spp feed on rotting wood Four types of reproduction Oviparity, O voviviparity , Viviparity

6. Mantodea Characters Lead solitary life Terrestrial, seen on shrubs, tress and other vegetation Keep raptorial fore legs raised together in front – praying mantids or soothsayer Highly predaceous, feed on variety of insects Females attack and feed males before or during copulation Eggs are laid in a mass of frothy material that hardens to form ootheca Head is freely mobile 3 to 12 nymphal instars . Lifecycle completed in one year

7. Classification DICTYOPTERA BLATTODEA Head covered with large shield like pronotum fenestrae All legs identical Gizzard strongly dentate MANTODEA Head not covered with pronotum Three ocelli present Fore legs raptorial Gizzard not well eveloped

8. BLATTODEA Superfamily - Ployphagoidea Family: Polyphgidae Cryptocercidae Superfamily - Blattoidea Family: Blattidae Blatellidae Blaberidae Blattidae Periplaneta americana – American cockroach P.australasiae – Australian cockroach P.fuliginosa – Smoke brown cockroach P.brunneA – Brown cockroach Superfamily – Mantoidea Family: Amorphoscelidae Mantidae