Spiderroach

The Spiderroach (Blattella pertrux) is one of the largest cockroach species, equalling Periplaneta americana's adult average length of around 4cm and height of about 7mm. They have a dark brown, nearly black carapace, distinctively curled antennae and unlike the better known hissing or chirping noises, the Spiderroach makes a unique and very distinctive "" sound when prey approaches. The warning is usually not in time to prevent said prey from being entangled in what is the Spiderroach's most distinctive feature, and a sure sign of Sparky involvement in their genesis &mdash; the web.

Naturalists suspect the web-spinning abilities of the Spiderroach were directly borrowed and spliced from common spiders. When a spiderroach was examined with minimal loss of digits and only a little bleeding, it was found to have three pairs of short, movable spinnerets, which emit silk. Each spinneret has many spigots, each of which is connected to one silk gland. There are at least six types of silk gland, each producing a different type of silk. Like conventional spiders, the spiderroach silk is mainly composed of a protein; it is initially a liquid, and hardens not by exposure to air but as a result of being drawn out, which changes the internal structure. Spiderroach webs, however, are usually quite large and have a comparatively heavier gauge silk than most spiders'.

Although cockroaches in general are most common in tropical and subtropical climates, the Spiderroach has been found all throughout temperate and sub-polar Europa. After all, cockroaches are among the hardiest insects on the planet. Some species are capable of remaining active for a month without food, and live up to three months without food and a month without water. Some can go without air for 45 minutes or slow down their heart rate. In one experiment, cockroaches were able to recover from being submerged underwater for half an hour. The Spiderroach has superb survival rates, but as long as the mimmoth keeps breeding, it will rarely be tested to extremes.

The Spiderroaches' savagery and swarm behaviour is easily the equal of that of the bloodbat. have been found in abandoned urban buildings and ruined laboratories. Due to their preference for mimmoths and other mammals, they are more likely to be found in or near human habitations rather than in wild environments.