Fig. 30.—Cursoria. Supella supellectilium, the brown-banded cockroach. Actual length about 0.6 inch. (Drawing courtesy of C. O. Mohr.)
Fig. 31.—Cursoria. Stagmomantis carolina, a praying mantis. Common in southern and central Illinois. Actual length of adult about 1.5 to 2.0 inches.
Fig. 32.—Cursoria. Diapheromera femorata, a walkingstick insect. This insect lacks wings. Actual length about 3.0 inches. (Drawing courtesy of C. O. Mohr.)
Cursoria
Cockroaches, Mantids, Walkingsticks
An order that includes three groups of terrestrial insects, each group markedly different in appearance from the others: (1) rapidly running insects usually having two pairs of wings, each with a dense network of fine veins, the front pair of wings thick and leathery, [fig. 30] (cockroaches); (2) winged insects having long, grasping front legs, [fig. 31] (praying mantids); and long, wingless insects resembling sticks, [fig. 32] (walkingsticks). The mouthparts are fitted for chewing. The young look and act like the adults except that they do not have wings. The cockroaches are omnivorous, feeding chiefly on organic foods rich in carbohydrates, or on fungus growth. Cockroaches are among our most persistent indoor pests, eating a wide variety of domestic foods. The praying mantids feed on other insects, which they capture in their enlarged front legs. The walkingsticks eat leaves. The cockroaches and mantids lay eggs that are glued together and form pods or capsules, each containing 30 or more eggs. The walkingsticks lay their eggs singly.
Fig. 33.—Isoptera. Reticulitermes flavipes, the commonest kind of termite found in Illinois: A, first form queen with wings spread, many times natural size (this is the form that lays eggs); B, worker nymph, natural size; C, first form queen, approximately natural size, with wings placed in their natural resting position. (Drawing courtesy of C. O. Mohr.)
