The Madagascar hissing cockroach, also known as the hissing cockroach or simply
hisser, is one of the largest species of cockroach, reaching 2 to 3 inches at
maturity. They are from the island of Madagascar off the African mainland,
where they can be found in rotting logs. It is one of some 20 known species of
large hissing roaches from Madagascar, many of which are kept as pets, and
often confused with one another by pet dealers; in particular, G. portentosa is
commonly confused with G. oblongonota and G. picea.
Unlike most cockroaches, they are wingless. They are excellent climbers
and can scale smooth glass. Males can be distinguished from females by their
thicker, hairier antennae and the pronounced "horns" on the pronotum.
Females carry the ootheca internally, and release the young nymphs only after
the eggs have hatched. As in some other wood-inhabiting roaches, the parents and
offspring will commonly remain in close physical contact for extended periods of
time. In captivity, these insects can live 5 years. They feed primarily on
vegetable material. Hissing
As the name suggests, the Madagascar hissing cockroach is characterized by
their hissing sound, produced when they force air through their respiratory
openings found on each segment of their abdomen. The Madagascar hissing
cockroach is one member of a group of roaches that can all hiss; this exact
mode of sound production is atypical, as most insects that make sound do so by
rubbing together various body parts, such as legs. Some long-horned beetles,
e.g., the giant Fijian long-horned beetle, hiss by squeezing air out from
under their elytra, but this does not involve the spiracles. In hissing
roaches, the hiss takes three forms: the disturbance hiss, the female-attracting
hiss, and the aggressive fighting hiss. All cockroaches from the fourth instar
and older are capable of the disturbance hiss. Only males use the
female-attracting hiss and fighting hiss; the latter is used when challenged
by other males. Associations with other animals
The mite species Gromphadorholaelaps schaeferi lives on this species of
cockroach along the undersides and bases of the legs and takes some of its host's
food as well as consuming particulates along the host's body. As these mites do
not harm the cockroaches they live upon, they are commensals, not parasites,
unless they build up to abnormal levels. Recent studies have shown that these
mites also may have beneficial qualities for the cockroaches, in that they clean
the surfaces of the cockroaches of pathogenic mold spores, which in turn
increases the life expectancy of the cockroaches.
Popular culture The Madagascar hissing cockroach has
been known to be featured in Hollywood movies, prominently in Bug as
cockroaches who could set fires by rubbing their legs together and, in
Damnation Alley, as post-nuclear-war mutant armor-plated "killer"
cockroaches. In Starship Troopers, a movie about a war against an enemy
called "The Bugs," a teacher is shown encouraging her students to step on this
species as part of a TV propaganda broadcast.
A Madagascar hissing cockroach has been used as the driver of a mobile robot.
They were used in the reality television series Fear Factor. The species also
made an appearance in the movie Men In Black in 1997. This was later parodied
in the comedy Team America: World Police, where one emerges from Kim
Jong-il's body after his death, enters a tiny spaceship, and flies away.
Madagascar hissing cockroaches were used in the Criminal Minds episode "The Itch"
by the unsub who used them on his victims to share his psychosis that they
had morgellons before killing them. In September 2006, amusement park Six
Flags Great America announced that it would be granting unlimited line-jumping
privileges for all rides to anyone who could eat a live Madagascar hissing
cockroach as part of a Halloween-themed FrightFest. Furthermore, if a contestant
managed to beat the previous world record, he would receive season passes
for four people during the 2007 season. This is a difficult record to break
because raw cockroaches contain a mild neurotoxin that numbs the mouth and
makes it difficult to swallow. The promotion ended on October 29, 2006.
As pets Madagascar's cockroaches can be kept as
exotic pets. They require a small living area with an area for them to hide
because they do not like the light. Due to their propensity to climb, the living
area must be tested to see if they can climb it as they do in their natural
environment. Fish tanks with screens work best but it is also wise to coat
the first few inches with petroleum jelly to keep them from getting out of
the habitat that they are kept in. They can live on fresh vegetables along with
any kind of pellet food that is high in protein, such as dry dog food.
In the USA, some states require permits before this species can be kept as a pet
or in breeding colonies. The state of Florida requires such a permit. In fact,
during outreach programs, the University of Florida's Department of Entomology
and Nematology, which has such a permit, allows only males to be taken out of the
laboratory. This is to prevent the possible introduction of a pregnant
female into the environment. References
.roachforum.com/index.php?showtopic=3452 ^ Delfosse, E. Les blattes souffleuses
de Madagascar. Insectes 153: 19-22. ^ "Cockroach Controlled Mobile Robot –
Garnet Hertz". Conceptlab.com. Retrieved 2011-04-04.
^ Zimmern, Andrew. Andrew Zimmern's Field Guide to Exceptionally Weird,
Wild, and Wonderful Foods. Feiwel & Friends. p. 30.
External links CockroachGuy.com ~ Care information and
photos dedicated to the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
Madagascar Hissing Cockroach - Housing and Bedding
Rearing cockroaches and details of a society dedicated to keeping cockroaches
Live roach cam When Cockroaches Seize Controls –
Cockroach-controlled mobile robot story in Wired News