Red Bean Pastry
Title: Red Bean Pastry
Year: 2019
Description: This is an ootheca (egg case) of a brown-banded cockroach on a catnip bag. The female brown-banded cockroach looks for a suitable place, secreting a sticky substance to attach her oothecae to a fibrous substrate or to place them in cracks. Each ootheca measures around five millimeters and has a hardened layer that protects the eggs inside. Gas exchange can occur with little water loss. There are 16 eggs in each ootheca. When the nymphs emerge, they do so from the dorsal ridge. The nymphs then feed on the ootheca to obtain protein.
Insect: Brown-banded cockroach Supella longipalpa (Fabricius, 1798)
Order Blattodea
Family Ectobiidae
Introduction: The brown-banded cockroach is a very common insect in homes. It is named for the obvious yellowish brown band at the base of its wings. The female measures 10-12 mm in length. Its body is relatively round and short. Its wings are shorter and do not cover the end of the abdomen. The body of the male is more elongated and its wings completely cover the abdomen. Like other cockroach species, it is omnivorous and prefers foods in human living environments, such as those containing sugar and starch.
Photographed by: Zhang Jia-Hao; Let’s Explore Insects in the Home Team
