Blattoptera - Art for Cockroaches

"I think it's about time to herald the era of a new awareness in the human-cockroach-relationship." (Don Pollock)

The gallery visitors/art critics:
In the introduction to his book "The Cockroach Vol.1" P.B.Cornwell's opening sentence is: "The Cockroach is probably the most obnoxious insect known to man." This is obviously the statement of a man who has spent too much time studying those few species of Blattodea which have so much in common with mankind that they have chosen to live with us. There are nearly 4,000 species of Cockroaches (Dictyoptera, Blattodea) in the world, of which only 25 to 30 (or less than 1%) have any pest status, the rest are innocent members of the Earth's fauna, some of which are clean living, non-aggressive and slow moving, and as such make great pets. The largest known Cockroaches in the world are (largest wingspan up to 18 cm) Megaloblatta longipennis, largest body, Macropanesthia rhinocerus from Australia weighing in at up to 50 grams. The smallest known is Attaphilla fungicola which lives in the nests of Leaf Cutter ants of the genus Atta in North America and feeds on the fungus they farm, it is about 4 mm long.

Cockroaches have been on the Earth for at least 250 million years and it is possible that in the late carboniferous cockroaches out numbered (in terms of number of individuals) all other flying insects. Most Cockroaches are tropical in habitat and Britain has only 3 native species, which is less than the number of introduced species. Many Cockroaches are diurnal, though most are nocturnal. Many are forest floor species though some are cave dwellers, some are semi-aquatic, some burrowing, some wood boring, and some even make their homes in the nests of social insects (Attaphila fungicola in the nests of various Attine ants).

Cockroaches are related to Termites (Isoptera) which some authorities believe arose 70 to 50 million years ago as an offshoot (or possibly 2 offshoots) of the Cockroach lineage of the time. Two pieces of evidence supporting this are:- 1) the fact that Termites are Eusocial insects and some species of Cockroach are primitively subsocial, and 2) the gut microflora of the primitive wood eating Cockroaches (such as Cryptocercus punctulatus) are very similar to that of the Termites. Modern Cockroaches are more similar to their ancient fossil ancestors than any other extant (still living) insect

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