Habitat: Rotten logs and organic detritus of open grasslands.
Description: Large (2-3 inches), wingless member of the cockroach family with a downwardly directed triangular head armed with biting mouthparts. They have an extension of the thorax which covers most of the head. Long antennae and eyes are very large. Sexually dimorphic, the males have large horns called pronatal humps on the thorax and bushy antennae, while the females have smaller or no bumps and smooth antennae.
Adaptations/Habitat: Setae, socketed sensory hairs scattered over the body, allow the cockroach to be sensitive to sounds, touch, humidity and light. Nocturnal insects, such as cockroaches are particularly sensitive to sounds and have been known to shy away from vibrations issued at 3000 cycles per second. Hissing is important in colony hierarchy and courtship interactions. Males hiss during courtship interactions with females and also in aggressive male-male encounters. Hissing is also used to avoid predators (or when handled). The hissing sound is produced by forcibly expelling air through a pair of modified abdominal spiracles (breathing pores). In contrast, most other insects produce sound by rubbing body parts (crickets) or vibrating a membrane (cicadas). The roach will also tuck its small head and antennae under the thorax when threatened.
