Instar determination of blaptica dubia (blattodea: Blaberidae) using gaussian mixture models

Abstract

Instar determination is fundamental to both basic entomological research and its application. The cockroach, Blaptica dubia Serville (Blattodea: Blaberidae), is a popular pet and an excellent feeder insect for many reptiles and amphibians. A new method using Gaussian mixture models to determine the number of instars in this species is developed. Application of the method is illustrated by analysis of data collected on B. dubia. The analysis indicates that there are seven instars in B. dubia and that the growth ratio follows the Brooks-Dyar rule. The growth ratio of pronotal length, pronotal width, and head width are 1.26, 1.24, and 1.19, respectively. Because B. dubia shares a similar growth pattern with other paurometabolous insects, this method may be applicable to other species as well. © 2013 Entomological Society of America.