Blaberus id

[honeysdad 0]

Hi all ,great to be a new member of this great forum. I am hoping that you may id these roahes,i bought them as Giganteus but think they may be Craniifer .Many thanks .

[ZOO CENTRE 0]

Hi all ,great to be a new member of this great forum. I am hoping that you may id these roahes,i bought them as Giganteus but think they may be Craniifer .Many thanks .

first- very bad picture

second- nobody is able to determine Blaberus species by the picture 100% (only probably...)

[island reptiles 0]

they look like B. Giganteus to me but its not a very good picture nothing to size them by

B.Craniifer (pure stock) have black wings

B.fusca look just like B.Giganteus but the size difference is a dead give away

but also like zoo said no one can 100% determine by a picture

heres a pic of all three in a small bin http://tinypic.com/r/k36s9k/5

heres a pic of the two cave roaches side by side http://tinypic.com/r/2ry0eaa/5

[island reptiles 0]

by all three I meant B.Gigantues,B Craniifer,and B fusca

the two cave species are B Gigantues and B fusca

[honeysdad 0]

Thanks for the replies Island Reps ,would have been helpful Zoo if you had given some pointers as to what to look for rather than just be off hand re the photo . I doubt i will be placing any more orders with you .Very unfriendly rep;y.

[blatta70 4]

Hello, this is Mark. Blaberus identification can only be fully confirmed through genital comparison since many of them can be surprisingly polymorphic with some individuals exhibiting physical characteristics indicative of other closely related species. However, most Blaberus have a few specific visual, odorous and behavioral "tells" that can also be useful identifying markers. The photo is clear enough to see their stouter tegmina in combination with a larger pronotal "spot" suggesting that these are Blaberus fusca aka B. craniifer according to Roth. Also, the broader costal stripes blending with the middle band is also a typical feature of this species especially with females but cannot be used alone to identify B. fusca since it is occasionally exhibited in B. giganteus and quite commonly witnessed on B. atropos as well. Males typically show thinner costal stripes which may or may not touch the middle band. In your case, I would guess that these are B. fusca. Hope this helps.

[happy1892 8]

Blaberus fusca is a synonym of Blaberus atropos. I think Blaberus craniifer is distinct from Blaberus fusca, I have heard about them being confused. So.... are there Blaberus craniifer that have colors like many of the other Blaberus species instead of black wings? Honeysdad if they are small I do not think they are Blaberus giganteus. I guess they should look huge on your hand, something like the size of your whole palm (I do not know).

[honeysdad 0]

Thanks guys ,they were too cheap to be Giganteus but just thought it was worth asking .

[island reptiles 0]

no such thing as too cheap its more how long you are willing to wait to get the price your comfortable paying

I wouldnt discredit B.fusca they are a cool species check the size theres a big difference B.Gigantues is one of the longest species in the hobby if not the longest

they will be more in the 3-4inch range

[jebbewocky 2]

B.fiscal and B.Atropos aren't synonyms.

[jebbewocky 2]

...stupid phone.

[Nicolas Rousseaux 18]

officialy, Blabera fusca and Blaberus atropos are synonyms, just check this link out:

http://blattodea.speciesfile.org/Common/basic/Taxa.aspx?TaxonNameID=1174154

[jebbewocky 2]

...that same site also lists atropos as a synonym of craniifer if you go a little further.

[happy1892 8]

It might have been something like a long time ago somebody saw a roach and gave it a species atropos then they find out that they actually should be in the species carniifer and then later they listed this species Blaberus atropos. I have heard something about this genus being a mess.

[windward 0]

That's the case for a lot of insects, actually. It depends on who has time to work with a genus (or several) and when they actaully get around to sharing their revisions.

I've been working with a species that was recently recognized as another and split off.

[Nicolas Rousseaux 18]

...that same site also lists atropos as a synonym of craniifer if you go a little further.

notice it's not the same atropos (check the name and the date)

[Allpet Roaches 76]

I would guess B. fusca from the image considering there are only so many lines of captive Blaberus.