Death's head cockroach

Species of cockroach

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 black cloak like marking on its wings and a skull shaped, amber/black marking on its pronotum. The name death's head comes from the markings on the top of the pronotum: "cranii", which is Latin for "of the head", and "fer", meaning "carry" or "carrier". Due to their unique appearance and certain characteristics, they make an easy to care for pet or display insect for entomologists and hobbyists.

B. craniifer is native to Mexico, the West Indies, and Central America. It has also been introduced into southern Florida in the United States. They can be found on forest floors, hiding in leaf matter and rotting wood.

In their native habitats, B. craniifer will feed on any organic food source available, including leaf matter.

In response to a predator approaching or after an attack, B. craniifer burrows itself into softer substrates when possible, using its head and pronotum, allowing the cockroach to hide.

Adults of B. craniifer have wings that possess pink flight muscles capable of supporting sustained flight. However, they generally only glide short distances. Juveniles lack wings and prefer to burrow. Cockroaches, including B. craniifer, are known to possess independent pulsatile circulatory organs within their antennae, also known as an antennal heart. It has been found that B. craniifer is capable of regenerating some of its tissues. B. craniifer can regenerate more proximal tissues and structures in a more distal amputation level on its leg after a distal part of the femur foreleg was transplanted to a proximal level of a hindleg tibia. This discovery concluded then that some insects are capable of regenerating certain tissues, and the most frequent type of regeneration in B. craniifer is intercalary regeneration.

B. craniifer are ovoviviparous cockroaches and mate once at a time. The act of mating begins with the female emitting a sex pheromone, which stimulates loco motor activity in the male to approach the female. While the female emits the sex pheromones from pygidial glands, which are located posteriorly on the abdomen, she will also assume a calling posture. The male touches the female with his antennae to assess her as a sexual partner. The male raises his wings and wingsheaths vertically and rotates 180 degrees. While sexual dimorphism of the antennae is often seen in other cockroach species, such as Periplaneta americana, no antennal sexual dimorphism is apparent in B. craniifer.