Ecology and Diversity of Cockroaches (Dictyoptera: Blattaria) from the Virgin Islands
Author
Lu, Wenhua
Author
Valentine, Barry D.
Author
Perez-Gelabert, Daniel E.
Author
Gutiérrez, Esteban
text
Insecta Mundi
2014
2014-02-14
2014
349
1
32
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.5178725
1942-1354
5178725
F1B10721-596C-4F0C-8C1C-9636E1E78C85
4.
Panchlora sagax
Rehn and Hebard
(
Fig. 6
)
Panchlora sagax
Rehn and Hebard 1927: 251
;
Dominica
;
Puerto Rico
,
Culebra
Island.
Diagnosis
. Adults
14–19 mm
, flat, oval, with full tegmina in both sexes; when alive dorsum mostly pale green, with lateral submarginal borders of pronotum and costal cells of tegmina pale yellow; head with a reddish brown interocular band; venter and legs greenish yellow; ventro-posterior of hind femora without a minute spur; cerci tapering.
Table 4.
Current (+) and historical (-) records of 26 cockroach names from the Virgin Islands.
1)
Colapteroblatta
sp. 1
.
2)
Hemiblabera brunneri
.
3)
Panchlora nivea
.
4)
P. sagax
, 5:
P. viridis
.
6)
Pycnoscelus surinamensis
.
7)
Rhyparobia maderae
.
8)
Blattella germanica
.
9)
Cariblatta antiguensis
.
10)
Cariblatta
sp. 2
.
11)
Cariblatta
sp. 3
.
12)
Euthlastoblatta diaphana
.
13)
E. facies
.
14)
Nyctibora lutzi
.
15)
N. noctivaga
.
16)
Plectoptera infulata
.
17)
P. rhabdota
.
18)
Plectoptera
sp. 3
.
19)
Symploce pararuficollis
.
20)
S. ruficollis
.
21)
Eurycotis improcera
.
22)
Eurycotis
sp. 2
.
23)
Periplaneta americana
.
24)
P. australasiae
.
25)
Polyphagid sp. 1 (
Compsodes
sp. 1
).
26)
Polyphagid sp. 2.
Comments
.
Panchlora sagax
is delicate, rather flat, and one of the three green species recorded from the
Virgin Islands
. Many specimens turn pale brown after death, especially if killed with alcohol or ethyl acetate. Males are generally shorter and narrower than females. We have not found the nymphs, which are reported to be brown (
Gurney and Fisk 1987
). Specimens from St John at VIIS were labeled as
P
.
nivea
but examination and comparison with Guana Island specimens indicate that they are all
P
.
sagax
, which differs from
P
.
nivea
in lacking the minute spur near the middle of the ventro-posterior margin of the hind femur.
This species is ovoviparous; a now faded brown female collected on
23.X.2008
from Moskito Island carries unborn nymphs, two of which are visible at the abdominal apex, and a green female collected on
26-28.X.2000
from Guana Island has an accidentally extruded brown egg mass. Nuptial aggregation may be normal in this species. In
October 2001
, approximately 30 individuals were attracted to a UV light; they formed a tight group on the trap sheet, all bodies in contact, and in simultaneous action when one moved. This aggregation phenomenon was observed for three consecutive days. Both sexes were present with males outnumbering females.
This is a common species on Guana Island, arboreal, and diurnal; we never found them under rocks or logs or active at night other than perching on vegetation or coming to lights (
Table 1
). We could only find individuals in the forest edge Malaise trap in
July 2000
,
March 2003
,
May 2005
, and
September 2006
during the 12-year period.
Roth (1994)
first recorded this species from Guana Island and checked identity for some of our specimens. It is herein recorded for the first time from St. John of
USVI
, Little Thatch, Moskito, Necker,
Tortola
, and
Virgin Gorda
of
BVI
, in addition to a previous record from
Colombia
(
Princis 1964
). It is probably of South American origin despite its Antillean
type
localities (
Rehn and Hebard 1927
).
Specimens examined
.
BDVC
—
3 females
,
BVI
,
Guana Is.
,
Quail Dove Ghut
,
9.
V
.-9.
VI
.2000
,
W.-P. Liao
,
Malaise trap
;
6 females
,
BVI
,
Guana Is.
, 26-28/
30.X.2000
, 1-7/
8-14.X.2001
,
13.X.2005
, B. & B.
Valentine
, at
UV
;
2 females
,
BVI
,
Guana Is.
, 23.IX./
5.X.2005
,
B. D. Valentine
& S. C.
Valentine-Cooper
, at
UV
;
1 female
,
BVI
,
Guana Is.
, 26.IX/
1.X.2006
, J.
Cokendolpher
, at
UV
;
3 males
,
BVI
,
Guana Is.
,
23.X.2004
,
22.IX.2005
, B. D.
Valentine
& S. C.
Valentine-Cooper
, at
UV
;
1 male
,
BVI
,
Guana Is.
,
9.X.2007
, W.
Lu
;
3 males
,
BVI
,
Guana Is.
,
16.X.2006
,
29.X.2007
, B. D.
Valentine
family, at
UV
;
8 males
,
BVI
,
Guana Is.
,
26-29.X.2000
,
1-7.X.2001
, B. & B.
Valentine
, at
UV
;
1 adult
,
Jost Van Dyke
,
8.X.2010
,
Lu
&
Valentine-Cooper
;
1 male
,
Little Thatch Is.
,
18.X.2004
, S.
Valentine-Cooper
, at light
;
2 females
[1 with young nymphs],
BVI
,
Moskito Is.
,
23.X.2008
,
Valentine-Cooper
&
Lu
;
1 female
,
BVI
,
Moskito Is.
,
25X.2007
, W.
Lu
, sweep
;
1 male
,
BVI
,
Necker Is.
,
2-5.
VI
.2005
, W.
Lu
;
2 females
,
BVI
, Tortola
Is.
,
Paraquita Bay
,
28.X.2001
,
Chalwell
, VII-VIII.2003, both
C. Petrovic
, at light
;
2 females
,
BVI
, Virgin Gorda
Is.
, SW coast,
14.X.2004
, B. & S.
Valentine
, at
UV
.
MCZ
—
11 adults
,
BVI
,
Guana Is.
UDCC
—
1 female
/
7 males
,
BVI
,
Guana Is.
,
7.X.1994
,
11.VIII.1997
,
23.X.1997
, C.
R
.
Bartlett
, beat/sweep/at
UV
;
1 male
,
BVI
,
Guana Is.
,
16.X.1993
,
C. Bartlett
& J.
Cryan
;
10 adults
,
BVI
,
Guana Is.
,
21.X.1997
, C.
R
.
Bartlett.
VIIS
—
1 adult
(missing abdomen),
USVI
,
St. John Is.
,
Lameshur Bay
,
18-27.
VII
.1968
,
A. Gray
;
1 female
,
USVI
,
St. John Is.
,
Lameshur Bay
,
13.
VII
.1970
,
J. B. Hanzely
;
2 females
,
USVI
,
St. John Is.
,
Cruz Bay
,
A. E. Dammann
;
1 male
,
USVI
,
St. John Is.
,
VIII.1968
,
A. E. Dammann
;
1 male
/
1 female
,
USVI
,
St. John Is.
,
Chocolate Hole
,
25.X.1968
,
A. E. Dammann
.