Bigger, Darker ‘Venom’ Cockroaches Noticed Crossbreeding In Gozo’s Marsalforn
If you’re easily triggered by cockroaches, you may want to skip this one.
It seems like Gozo’s cockroaches may be slowly getting bigger and darker… and it could just all be because of an escaped domestic breed.
“Studying some caught American Cockroaches specimens collected during pest control services by the Exterminator last summer reveals that in particular locations in Marsalforn Gozo the roaches tend to be darker and slightly bigger (about 2/3 millimetres) than the normal ones we generally encounter,” local exterminator and naturalist Arnold Sciberras told Lovin Malta.
“It is suspected that a domestic breed called ‘Venom’ might have escaped from a entomoculturist (individuals breeding insects) and easily mixed in the wild with the wildtype creating this larger/ darker population.”
“Although all specimens had the same colour, one specimen had features that looked exactly like the domestic breed, and that is why this crossbreeding is suspected,” Sciberras noted.
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At this point, it’s important to note that the ‘Venom’ cockroach wasn’t named that because it’s venomous… but rather because it was created two decades ago to mimic the Marvel Spider-Man anti-hero.
“This is not the first time darker, larger cockroaches were found in Gozo,” Sciberras clarified. “In fact, specimens collected from the past assisted me to create two new domestic breed variants known as “Sampei” and “tal-Fossa” which were fairly popular into the local and foreign entomoculture.”
Tag a Gozitan who needs to check this out ASAP!
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