Roach identification: Blaberus “”giganteus”” ?

[carrionbone]

Hopefully will pick up these guys in October, listed as Blaberus giganteus, but as I was doing some research I found they’re likely to be hybrids. My questions now are:

1.could hybridization be the cause of the varied patterning on the pronotum? Some individuals in the image have a solid black blob, while others look like they have some amber patterning inside.

2.is there any sp. in particular it’s likely they’ve been hybridized with?

3.any tips/clear images on sexing these guys?


Bonus question: does anyone know what happened to Blaberus fusca? Did it get folded or renamed?

also, if anyone has any experience with them, I’m all ears.

TYIA! So grateful for this forum.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Hopefully will pick up these guys in October, listed as Blaberus giganteus, but as I was doing some research I found they’re likely to be hybrids. My questions now are:

1.could hybridization be the cause of the varied patterning on the pronotum? Some individuals in the image have a solid black blob, while others look like they have some amber patterning inside.

2.is there any sp. in particular it’s likely they’ve been hybridized with?

3.any tips/clear images on sexing these guys?


Bonus question: does anyone know what happened to Blaberus fusca? Did it get folded or renamed?

also, if anyone has any experience with them, I’m all ears.

TYIA! So grateful for this forum.

they might be giganteus unless you’re sure they’re too small or hybrids. I don’t know how to sex this species try some research tell me if you figure out.

Blaberus giganteus - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[jbooth]

Is it just the males? The males are smaller is all I know, there it looks like maybe just the males are darker patterned.. if that's the case I'd lean towards it's normal, without knowing jack squat else, which I don't.

 

[carrionbone]

Is it just the males? The males are smaller is all I know, there it looks like maybe just the males are darker patterned.. if that's the case I'd lean towards it's normal, without knowing jack squat else, which I don't.

That was my first thought as well, but I now know sexing these guys appears to be a bit less obvious than pronotum patterning, as you're looking for a size difference in the abdomen and the presence/absence of an appendage called styli, found between the cerci (linked an article explaining giganteus a bit further, + an image of cerci, just in case you're wanting to learn something new ).
If I *do* ever get these guys (seller's MIA), I'll reply to this thread if the head pattering matched up with a trend in sex.

 

[carrionbone]

they might be giganteus unless you’re sure they’re too small or hybrids. I don’t know how to sex this species try some research tell me if you figure out.

Blaberus giganteus - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

In case you're curious, I'll post what I found in my other reply: This document's first paragraph lists that males will have styli present between their anal cerci, which is the most surefire way to sex them IMO. Attached is a diagram of anal cerci with the styli unlabeled between them. The female also has an ovipositor valve. The diagram is a very general look at cockroach anatomy among all species, but the document does confirm that giganteus has styli, at least.