Death's Head Cockroach

Blaberus craniifer Burmeister (Plate VIII, figures 6 and 7.)
183S. Bl[ubera] craniijera Burmeister, Handb. Ent., ii, abth. ii, pt. i. p. 516.
[Cuba.] 1839. Blahcra various Serxille, Hist. Nat. Ins., Orth., p. 78. (In part; 9.) [9,
Cuba.] 1857. Blatta {Blabera) atropos Guerin (not Blatta atropos of Stoll, 1 813), in Sagra,
Hist. Cuba., Anim. Artie, p. 333. [Havana, Cuba.]
1864. Blabera atropos Saussure (not Blatta atropos of Stoll, 1813), Mem. Hist. Nat. Mex., iv, p. 233. [o", 9 : Cuba; Hot coast of Mexico.]
1888. B{labera) atropos Bolivar {not Blatta atropos of Stoll, 1813), Mem. Soc. Zool. France, i. p. 133. ["Should be the most abundant species in Cuba."]
The present species shows near relationship to B. atropos (Stoll), ■■'-•' agreeing in the exceptionally dark general coloration of
32" Blaberus atropos (Stoll) 1813. [Blatta] atropos Stoll, Natuur. Afbeeld. Beschryv., Kakkerlakken, p. 4, Register p. 14, pi. Ild. fig. 8. (No locality given.)
1865. Bl[abera] fusca Brunner, Nouv. Syst. Blatt., p. 376. [9, Chile.]
1868. Blabera laticollis Walker, Cat. Blatt. Br. Mus., p. 5. [d", British Guiana.]
Brunner, in 1865, applied the name atropos to B. discoidalis or an extremely closely related species, and redescrihed the present insect as fusca. Walker's laticoUis is an evident synon'm, which name was placed under at'^opos (there, howeer, incliidmg craniifer) by Kirby in 1904.
The most striking features of the s[)ecies arc given al)oe. The concealed male genitalia are similar to those found in craniifer, but the surrounding soft median mantle has the free margin fringed dextrad with heavier chitinous teeth, showing distinct uncination,
the tegmina and wings, in the moderately large size (for the genus) and rather broad form. The confusion in the literature is in large part due to the fanciful death's-head marking, figured and described for atropos, and in that species situated on the mesonotum and metanotum. In the present species the dark pronotal spot bears pale markings, which afford an even more striking fanciful resemblance to the human eyes, nose and mouth, and failure to recognize the proper position of this marking in the two species has resulted in constant confusion.
The most striking features of difference between the species are as follows. In craniifer the male averages distinctly smaller than the female; with pronotum decidedly smaller, the length being contained in the width nearly 1.4 times in the male and 1.49 times in the female. The interocular space in the male is slightly less than, to slightly more than, half the interocellar width ; in the female slightly more than half, to slightly less than, the full interocellar width. The dark pronotal spot contains four pale markings suggesting the human eyes, nose and mouth, these very rarely in part obliterated. The tegmina are dark blackish brown with a prout's brown tinge, and have the proximal portions of the marginal and anal fields strikingly buffy, the extent of these markings variable and their distal margins extremely irregular but sharply defined; frequently, and particularly in the males, a large transverse suffusion of buffy is, to varying degrees, weakly indicated mesad on the tegmina.
while sinistrad these are further developed into relatively much larger chitinous processes, rounded distad, with surfaces shagreenous, the largest being situated proximad, which projection is apically irregularly bilobate.
Measurements {in millimeters)
Length Length Width Length Width
Cf of of of of of
body pronotum pronotum tegmen tegmen
Caparo, Trinidad. (8) 42.7-49.1 I3-3-I5-3 19 3-21-6 50.8-56.4 19.2-20
? Caparo, Trinidad. (14) 57-5«« 14-6-15.9 20,8-22.9 53-57-« 22-23
Specimens Examined: 27; 10 males and 17 females.
Diego Martin, Trinidad, VI, 20, 1915, (R. A. Wood; river estate), i 9 , [Hebard Cln.]. Caparo, Trinidad, VI, 1913, (^. M. Klages), 2c^, 3 9 , [A. N. S. P.]; VIII, 1913, (S. M. Klages), 8cf , 13 9 , [Hebard Cln.]. In atropos the difference in size of the sexes is much less apparent; the pronotum axerages only slightly smaller in the male, the length being contained in the width about 1.43 times in both sexes. The interocular space in the male is slightly more than half, to fully, the interocellar width; in the female slightly less than, to fully, the interocellar width. The dark pronotal spot is normally solid ; faint traces of a jjortion of the same type of marking as found so conspicuous in craiiiifer are apparent in rare examples. The tegmina are dark blackish brown with an argus brown tinge, the marginal fields are brownish Inifty, often suffused with darker distad ; the tegmina appear otherwise almost solid in coloration until spread, when the humeral trunk is found to be very dark, the anal field rather pale and the mesal portion of the tegmina rather darker than the other distal portions.
The female of B. varians of Serville is clearly this species; the male the same as his B. discoidalis.
In addition to the diagnostic features described above, the following features are found in the present species.
(Key West, Florida.) Head blackish brown in general coloration, eyes often paler, ocelli and soft portions of clypeus conspicuously buffy. Ocelli distinct; flattened surfaces of ocellar areas slanting mesad, so that the inner margins are raised slighthabove the flattened intervening portion of the face. Pronotum subelliptical, the cephalic and caudal margins almost equally con-ex, this slightly more pronounced mesad on both margins, the latero-caudal angles faintly indicated b"" a slightly greater convexity there of the caudal margin. Tegmina broad, broadly rounded distad, with apex mesal in position. Wings with anterior field decidedly suffused with brown, posterior field less suftused, all veins dark brown. Dorsal surface of abdomen in both sexes with seventh segment acute-angulate produced latero-caudad, with apices of productions blunt; eighth much narrower across abdomen and but slightly projecting beyond caudal margin of seventh, with small, rounded, latero-caudal projections; ninth still narrower across abdomen, with caudal margin straight. Supra-anal plate projecting and subciuadrate, moderateK^ bilobate. Cerci moderately slender, slightly incurved, tailoring distad to acute apex, with about se""enteen short joints; ])olished and slighth' conex aboe, strongh' conex and ^■ery hair>' lielow, with narrow, deep, lateral channels on external and distal portion of internal margins. Mesad in the anal chamber of the male, from above a soft surrounding mantle, a moderately stout, short, tapering, blunt^ chitinous projection extends caudad; the surrounding mantle having the free dorsal and distal margins fringed with minute, chitinous teeth. Dextrad of this organ, from a broad chitinous base, a stout subchitinous shaft is directed caudad curing