Nutritional phagostimulants function as male courtship pheromone in the German cockroach, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Blattella germanica</Emphasis>

Summary. Males of the German cockroach, Blattella germanica, secrete a pheromonal substance from the abdominal tergal glands, which elicits a feeding response in females during the sequential courtship behavior. The nuptial secretion consists predominantly of a synergistic mixture of sugars and phospholipids. Cholesterol and a series of amino acids, which are also components of the males glandular secretion, significantly enhanced the phagostimulant activity of the sugar components. The nuptial feeding behavior of the female cockroach is therefore elicited by a complex assortment of nutritive components in the male tergal secretion, including sugars, phospholipids, cholesterol, and amino acids. These results indicate that a mixture of primary metabolites, and not of specific secondary metabolites, serves as a pheromonal cue that appeals to the females gustatory sense and effectively brings her to the precopulatory position. Although the male secretion consists of nutrients, we suggest that these compounds probably do not represent a significant nutrient investment in females and their progeny but rather function as a signal in the mating sequence of B. germanica.     

Habitat influences on diversity of bacteria found on German cockroach in Beijing

Cockroaches are worldwide indoor pests carrying microorganisms of medical importance.German cockroaches (Blattella germanica) were sampled in five habitats (hospital, restaurant, office home, and market) in Beijing, and the bacteria were isolated from their external surface and alimentary tract and identified using a Biolog identification system.Cockroach densities significantly differed among habitats (market > home > office > restaurant > hospital).However, no significant differences in bacterial abundance carried by individual German cockroaches (of either sex) were found among habitats.The bacterial abundance in the gut was significantly higher than that on the surface.There were no significant differences in bacterial species richness observed among habitats, sex, carrying position or their interaction.Cluster analysis showed that cockroach densities and bacterial abundance found in the market differed significantly from the other four habitats.The bacterial diversity was not significantly reduced in sensitive facilities such as hospital and restaurant, even though pesticide and bactericide were more frequently applied there.The implications of these findings were discussed in this article.     

Pheromones inBlattella germanica andBlaberus craniifer (Blaberoidea): Glandular source,morphology and analyses of pheromonally released behaviours

Females ofBlattella germanica andBlaberus craniifer produce a volatile sex pheromone attractive at a distance for conspecific males. During the emission of the pheromone, females ofB. craniifer adopt a typical calling posture; we never observe such a stance inB. germanica females. For both species, the glandular structures responsible for pheromonal production are located on the female pygidium. InB. germanica, the thickness of the glandular epithelium is clearly correlated with the attractiveness of females, being maximum for 13 day old females. The functions of the pygidial glands are discussed in both species.     

久效磷对细小色矛线虫胚胎发育和繁殖的影响

采用平板静态毒性实验方法,研究了久效磷对细小色矛线虫(Chromadorina germanica)的急性毒性及胚胎发育和繁殖的影响,并探讨了其毒性作用机制.结果表明,久效磷对C. germanica 的24,48,96h的LC50分别为66.42,36.94,16.03 μmol/L.对C. germanica繁殖具有显著的抑制作用:1.0μmol/L久效磷暴露组子一代的数量急剧减少,仅为对照组的52.9%,10μmol/L暴露组则完全抑制了产卵和子一代的产生.对C.germanica的胚胎毒性主要表现为胚胎发育时间的延迟:0.1,1.0,10.0μmol/L久效磷暴露组胚胎发育持续时间比对照组的17.05h分别延长了1.24,1.92,1.96h,呈剂量-效应关系,且10.0μmol/L久效磷完全抑制了卵的孵化.久效磷对C. germanica精巢和卵巢超微结构的损伤,导致了精子和卵子质量下降.因此,久效磷导致C.germanica的胚胎发育持续时间的延长和精子、卵子质量下降是其子一代数量急剧减少的主要原因之一.