Madagascar hissing cockroach

The Madagascar hissing cockroach, also known as the hissing roach or simply hisser, is one of the largest species of cockroach, reaching 2–3 inches at maturity. They are from the island of Madagascar off the African coast, where they can be found in rotting logs.

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 (egg case) internally, and release the young nymphs only after the eggs have hatched. As in some other wood 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

The Madagascar cockroach has become a popular pet because of its hissing sound, large size, and appearance. Their nickname, "hissing cockroach", is due to their ability to force gas through the breathing pores (spiracles) found on their abdomen. The Madagascar hissing cockroach is believed to be the only insect that can growl in this exact manner, as most insects that make a "hissing" sound do so by rubbing together various body parts. (Some long-horned beetles, e.g., the Giant Fijian long-horned beetle, can squeeze air out from under their elytra, but this does not involve the spiracles). This hiss takes two forms: the disturbance hiss and the fighting hiss. All cockroaches from the fourth instar (fourth molting cycle) and older are capable of the disturbance hiss. Only males use the fighting hiss; they use it when challenged by other males. This results in one of the males backing down and the fight being over. Males hiss more often than females.

Associations with other animals

The mite species Gromphadorholaelaps schaeferi lives on this species of roach and takes some of its host's food. As these mites do not harm the cockroaches they live upon, they are commensals, not parasites.

Popular culture

The hisser has featured in Hollywood movies, prominently in Bug (1975) as roaches who could set fires by rubbing their legs together, and in Damnation Alley (1977) 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 have been encrusted with Swarovski crystals and used as necklaces and brooches. 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 (2004), where a Madagascar hissing cockroach emerges from Kim Jong-il's body after his death, enters a tiny spaceship, and flies away.

In September 2006, amusement park Six Flags Great America announced 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 (eating 36 cockroaches in 1 minute), 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^{[citation needed]}. The promotion ended on October 29, 2006.

The roaches were used in a runway challenge for the sixth cycle of America's Next Top Model.

As pets

Madagascar cockroaches can be kept as pets. They cannot fly like some species of roaches, and they are not aggressive and do not bite. They need a small living area and a spot for them to hide because they do not like the light. The living area must be tested to see if they can climb it as they can climb most kinds. 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. 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. For example, 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 gravid female into the environment.

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Anthia sexguttata

Anthia sexguttata, or the Six-spot ground beetle, is a beetle of the Family Carabidae.

Appearance

Adults measure approximately 4 cm (1.5 inches), are black with six relatively large, white, dorsal spots (four over the elytra and two on the thorax).

Distribution

The species occurs in the drier parts of South Asia.

Diet

Adult A. sexguttata feed on other insects and snails.

Defence

Adults have the ability to squirt an irritating liquid.

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Strawberry land hermit crab

The strawberry land hermit crab is a species of terrestrial hermit crab.

Distribution

C. perlatus is native to the Indo-Pacific region, specifically Madagascar, Japan, and Australia and in other areas around the Red Sea and the Pacific. However, they have spread to other Atlantic regions because humans have brought them there.

In Australia they are restricted to islands and coral cays of the Great Barrier Reef where they have been found to scavenge on sea terns, tortoise eggs and other crabs.

Description

These hermit crabs are noted for their bright red colouring and white granual markings. They can be 18 mm in length.

Juveniles are white with red antennae, but as they grow and moult, their orange and red colouring appears. During their younger years, they are more of a pale red or orange colour. As adults, they are very red. Their eyestalks are the same colour as their body and are thick. Their walking legs are thick and strong for climbing.

Coenobita perlatus has 4–7 pronounced striations on the large pincer in a pattern similar to Coenobita rugosus and to a lesser extent Coenobita compressus.

As a pet

Like all hermit crabs, it prefers gastropod shells with a round, uninterrupted aperture such as Turbo shells.

They are most active at a relative humidity of about 80% and a temperature of about 80 °F (27 °C).

They can live for around 30 years in the wild. In captivity they have been known to live for about 32 years.

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Sea-Monkeys

Sea-Monkeys are a novelty animal sold to children in the United States and the United Kingdom since 1960. They are a variant of brine shrimp or Artemia salina, a species which enters cryptobiosis, a natural state of suspended animation, allowing their cysts (dormant saclike embryos) to be sold as a dry powder. When the powder is poured into water, live shrimp appear within hours, and can grow up to an adult length of 2 centimeters within one year. Thus the novelty of "instant" life. In the United Kingdom in the 1970s they were also sold as "Artful Arties".

Product description

The purchaser of Sea Monkeys receives three packages, a "water purifier" package, a "food" package, and "instant life eggs" package, along with a set of instructions.

The key ability of unhatched "Sea-Monkeys" to be packaged, shipped, and handled is that they enter cryptobiosis, a natural suspended animation. When released into the prepared aquarium they leave this state and emerge from their cysts. The genetic variant of brine shrimp, the Sea-Monkey, was given the term "instant life" to reflect the instant hatching seen when the cysts are added to the saltwater medium.

To start the process, the "water purifier" package is added to water on the first day. This package has eggs as well as the salt. On the second day, the user adds the "instant life eggs" package, containing Epsom salts, borax and soda ash, in addition to eggs, yeast, and sometimes a blue or green dye. The dye enhances the experience by making the freshly hatched animals more visible.

The Sea-Monkeys seen on the fifth day after adding the "eggs package" are derived from the eggs added with the "purifier" package. The food package is a mixture of Spirulina and dried yeast. The "boost" packages mainly contains salts, which induce increased sexual activity in Artemia.

Taxonomy

They are members of the phylum Arthropoda now called Artemia salina × nyos. They originated in salt lakes and evaporation flats.

Sea-Monkeys are a breed of Artemia salina sometimes classified as a "new species" called "Artemia nyos" ("nyos" being an acronym for "New York Ocean Science Laboratories" where the first "Sea Monkey" Artemia were bred). This is in absence of a formal description fulfilling the ICZN requirements. As such, the correct name would be Artemia salina × nyos if Sea Monkeys are (as is sometimes reported) interspecific hybrids between A. salina and an indeterminate species of Artemia.

History

Sea Monkeys were marketed in 1957 by Harold von Braunhut as Instant Life, though Braunhut changed the name to "Sea-Monkeys" on May 10, 1962. The name "Sea-Monkeys" was chosen because of their supposed playful monkey-like behaviour. Braunhut is also the inventor of X-Ray glasses. They were known for their exaggerated advertisements and packaging, which featured smiling anthropomorphic creatures (originally drawn by Joe Orlando) who bore little resemblance to their true appearance. Underneath was a disclaimer stating, "Caricatures shown not intended to depict Artemia." The present disclaimer on the package states, "Illustration is fanciful, does not depict Artemia nyos."

Sea Monkeys were bred for their larger size and longer lifespan, making them more suitable as pets than the original breed of brine shrimp. The U.S. Patent 3,673,986 granted in 1972 describes this as "hatching brine shrimp or similar crustaceans in tap water to give the appearance of instantaneous hatching."

Many types of Sea-Monkey kits are now available. The company produces the original Ocean View tank as well as a variety of other products. The Sea-Monkeys company is now part of the Educational Insights corporation. As of 2008, Sea Monkeys are a division of Transcience.

Other companies have distributed pets along the Sea-Monkey model, including one by Wham-O, and "The Swarm", a product from Dr. Jordan's formulae. In the late 1970s to early 1980s, sachets of "Sea Monsters" were sold in 25-cent gumball machines at A&P supermarkets. When added to water, the packet's contents provided the eggs, salt and nutrients to hatch the brine shrimp.

More recently, an Australian company, Little Aussie Products, has marketed "Itsy Bitsy Sea Dragons", with a different brine shrimp species, Parartemia zietziana, and other tank "buddies" to live with them.

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Pagurus bernhardus

Pagurus bernhardus is the common marine hermit crab of Europe's Atlantic coasts. It is sometimes referred to as the common hermit crab or soldier crab. It is about 3½ cm long , and is found in both rocky and sandy areas, from the Arctic waters of Iceland, Svalbard and Russia as far south as southern Portugal, but its range does not extend as far as the Mediterranean Sea. It can be found in pools on the upper shore and at the mean tide level down to a depth of approximately 140 m, with smaller specimens generally found higher on the shore and larger individuals at depth. P. bernhardus is an omnivorous detritivore that opportunistically scavenges for carrion and which can also filter feed when necessary.

Pagurus bernhardus uses shells of a number of gastropod species for protection, including Littorina littorea, Littorina obtusata, Nucella lapillus and Buccinum. In the warmer parts of its range, the sea anemone Calliactis parasitica is often found growing on the shell occupied by Pagurus bernhardus. In colder waters, this rôle is filled by Hormathia digitata.

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