(Fig. 2, I)
Natural hosts.—Blatta orientalis, England (Woodcock, 1904; Jameson, 1920).
Periplaneta americana, France (Kunstler, 1884, 1887); England (Jameson, 1920); Germany (Foerster, 1939).
In body cavity of host. Cysts containing spores are ingested during cannibalistic feeding on infected cockroaches. Sporozoites penetrate the gut wall which later ruptures, freeing the gregarines into the coelom. There is no apparent pathogenic effect. Jameson (1920) found 81 percent of P. americana infested with D. schneideri.
Diplocystis sp.
Natural host.—Periplaneta americana, U.S.A. (Hertig, 1921): Heavy infections in body cavity.
Cockroach, India (Ray and Dasgupta, 1955): A large number of cockroaches, both adults and nymphs, collected in Calcutta were all infected.
Diplocystis sp.?
Natural host.—Blaberus craniifer, U.S.A. (Nutting, 1953): From 1 to 12 or more paired trophozoites or cysts may be found in the hemocoele and occasionally in the thorax.
Family STENOPHORIDAE