False-ovoviviparity
Guides
Pycnoscelus
burrowing cockroaches
Pycnoscelus is a genus of burrowing cockroaches in the family Blaberidae, containing approximately 15 described species. The genus is distributed across India, China, Southeast Asia, and has been introduced to other regions including the Americas. The most studied species, Pycnoscelus surinamensis (Surinam cockroach), is notable for being parthenogenetic and serving as an intermediate host for poultry parasites.
Pycnoscelus surinamensis
Surinam cockroach, greenhouse cockroach
Pycnoscelus surinamensis is a burrowing cockroach endemic to the Indomalayan region that has become established in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Populations are almost exclusively female, reproducing parthenogenetically through multiple clonal strains. The species is a common plant pest that has been transported globally in soil of potted plants, establishing in greenhouses and other protected habitats. It completes its life cycle in approximately 135 days through four nymphal instars. The species serves as an intermediate host for the poultry parasite Oxyspirura mansoni and exhibits unique false ovoviviparous reproduction where females retain the ootheca internally for an extended period before deposition.