INTRASPECIFIC AND INTERSPECIFIC TRAPPINGS OF 2 SYMPATRIC PERIDOMESTIC COCKROACHES (DICTYOPTERA, BLATTIDAE)

Intra- and interspecific trappings of American, Periplaneta americana (L.), and smokybrown, P.fuliginosa (Serville), cockroaches were examined in laboratory experiments. More P. americana were caught in live traps than P. fuliginosa. Overall, more individuals were caught with a conspecific bait than with a heterospecific bait. Significantly more adult male, female, and total P. americana were caught in traps baited with a conspecific than with unbaited traps. Heterospecific nymphs were repellent to male and female P. americana. More P. americana were caught with conspecific females and nymphs as bait than with heterospecific nymphs. For P. fuliginosa, only more males were caught with a trap with a conspecific compared with an unbaited trap. Traps with nymphal P. fuliginosa caught more conspecifics than did unbaited traps or traps with heterospecific nymphs. Nymphal P. fuliginosa were repelled by nymphal P. americana. P. americana were captured more frequently and were more selective in interspecific associations than P. fuliginosa. These results partly account for differences in sampling these species in areas of sympatry and suggest that volatile semiochemicals are produced and detected by most stages of these cockroaches.