Shelfordina orchidae

Shelfordina orchidae (Asahina, 1985) Figures 5A–D; 6A–E Observations Detailed studies of the gut contents of blattelline cockroaches are sparse. One such observation is useful here. Lepschi (1989) examined the gut contents of the Orchid Cockroach Shelfordina orchidae (Asahina). It was then in the genus Imblattella Bruijning but transferred to Shelfordina by Roth (1990b). Specimens were collected from orchids in the glasshouse of the first author in Canberra A.C.T. The cockroach does not occur in Canberra in nature probably because it cannot withstand the cold winters. It is a tropical or subtropical species but it gets moved around in orchids because its oothecae are deposited in orchid roots. Lepschi found an abundance of plant material, fungal hyphae and pollen in the dissected guts. More specimens were collected in the glasshouses in the National Botanical Gardens, Canberra. Gut contents revealed spores and pollen from club mosses (Lycopodium sp. [now Phlegmariurus sp.]), ferns (Polypodium sp.) and from palms including Pandanus sp. in addition to orchids and an unidentified member of the Myrtaceae.