MORPHOLOGY AND ANATOMY
OF COCKROACH
,MORPHOLOGY OF COCKROACH
, EXTERNAL FEATURES
The body of the cockroach is elongated and
segmented. It is dark brown or reddish brown in
colour. The exoskeleton is thick and hard made
up of calcareous plates calledsclerites. There are
10 segments. The segments on — on dorsal side
(or notum) are called Tergum —on ventral side
are called Sternum. The exoskeleton is coated
with wax impermeable to water. It protects the
body from loss of water and provides rigidity and
surface for attachment of body muscles. The
adjacent segments are joined by thin, soft and
flexible arthroidal membrane. The body is
divisible into head, thorax and abdomen. The
cockroach has three pairs of jointed appendages
and two pairs of wings. The fore wings are
mesothoracic and are called wing covers
or tegmina or elytra. They cover the hindwings
and are protective in function. These are dark
stiff opaque and leathery. The hind wings are
large, thin, membranous and transparent. They
are kept folded below the tegmina and are used
for flying.
OF COCKROACH
,MORPHOLOGY OF COCKROACH
, EXTERNAL FEATURES
The body of the cockroach is elongated and
segmented. It is dark brown or reddish brown in
colour. The exoskeleton is thick and hard made
up of calcareous plates calledsclerites. There are
10 segments. The segments on — on dorsal side
(or notum) are called Tergum —on ventral side
are called Sternum. The exoskeleton is coated
with wax impermeable to water. It protects the
body from loss of water and provides rigidity and
surface for attachment of body muscles. The
adjacent segments are joined by thin, soft and
flexible arthroidal membrane. The body is
divisible into head, thorax and abdomen. The
cockroach has three pairs of jointed appendages
and two pairs of wings. The fore wings are
mesothoracic and are called wing covers
or tegmina or elytra. They cover the hindwings
and are protective in function. These are dark
stiff opaque and leathery. The hind wings are
large, thin, membranous and transparent. They
are kept folded below the tegmina and are used
for flying.
