Blattodea

Nicholson, Daniel J., Tapley, Benjamin, Jayson, Stephanie, Dale, James, Harding, Luke, Spencer, Jenny, Sulton, Machel, Durand, Stephen & Cunningham, Andrew A., 2017, Development of in-country live food production for amphibian conservation: The Mountain Chicken Frog (Leptodactylus fallax) on Dominica, West Indies, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 149) 11 (2), pp. 59-68 : 62

Blattodea

Cockroaches are not known to be a natural prey item for L. fallax ( Brooks Jr 1982) . They were, however, selected for culture due to their durability, high fecundity, large size, suitability to wide scale propagation and because they are readily consumed by captive L. fallax in Europe (B. Tapley, pers. obs.). It is not known if B. discoidalis ( Fig. 2D ) is native to Dominica, but it is native to Central America and distributed across the West Indies ( Cockroach Species File 2016). The founding stock was collected from a chicken shed on the island.

Housing: Cockroaches were housed in large plastic dustbins (51 × 69 cm) with an open top covered with mesh lining to prevent escape ( Fig. 3A ). The bins were 1/3 filled with a sphagnum peat moss substrate to facilitate burrowing and cardboard boxes were added as refugia ( Fig. 3C ). Once per month, the containers were cleaned and the substrate was replaced.

Feeding: Cockroach colonies were fed potatoes (1 cm cubed, approx.), citrus fruits (quartered) and dry dog food (Seminole Feed ® Premium Performance Dog Food) ad lib, with fresh food provided three times per week.

Figures

Fig. 2. Cultured species at the CBP in Dominica. (A) Gryllodes sigillatus. (B) Gryllus assimilis. (C) Caribacusta dominica. (D) Blaberus discoidalis. (E) Zophobas atratus. (F) Veronicella sloanii. (G) Pleurodonte dentiens. (H) Leptogoniulus sp. Photos: D. Nicholson.

Fig. 3. (A) Two rows of cricket breeding containers and cockroach breeding bins below. (B) Inside of a cricket breeding container, including refugia, food items, and several egg laying containers, transplanted into an empty container to allow eggs to hatch. (C) Inside view of a cockroach breeding bin, including substrate, refugia, and several food items. Photos: D. Nicholson.