Lucihormetica verrucosa
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| Lucihormetica verrucosa | |
|---|---|
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| Male | |
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| Female | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Blattodea |
| Family: | Blaberidae |
| Genus: | Lucihormetica |
| Species: | L. verrucosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Lucihormetica verrucosa (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1865)[1] | |
Lucihormetica verrucosa is a species of giant cockroach in the family Blaberidae, commonly known as the warty glowspot cockroach. It is native to Venezuela and Colombia.
L. verrucosa grows to a length of about 4 cm (1.6 in) and is mainly black or dark brown with a white margin to the dorsal sclerites. It is sexually dimorphic, with males being slightly smaller than females and having a pair of large, usually yellow spots on the pronotum.[2] These are covered by a thin translucent cuticle and have traditionally been thought to be luminescent organs.[3] However researchers noticed that when in captivity these cockroaches were fed on carrots, the colour of the spots deepened to orange or even red. On closer examination the surface of the cuticle bears a number of small knobs each bearing a small mechanoreceptor. The upper surface of the spots is partially obscured by a pad of enlarged fat body cells which accumulate carotenoids on a diet of carrots. Insects are unable to synthesize carotenoids and the presence of orange or red spots may indicate a well-fed, fit individual. The researchers found no evidence of spontaneous light emission but hypothesized that the pigmented spots may play a part in male aggression or mate choice by the female, or may provide warning signals,[4] though autofluorescence has been documented, such that the spots will glow when exposed to ultraviolet light.[5]