Quick Answer: Cockroach Charts are zoology wall charts illustrating the cockroach, Periplaneta americana, the standard insect type study, with labelled diagrams of its external features and internal organ systems. They are used in secondary and college biology to teach insect structure.
The Cockroach as a Type Study
The cockroach is used in biology teaching because it is common, easy to obtain and shows the general features of insects and arthropods clearly. Charts of this type usually begin with external morphology: a body divided into head, thorax and abdomen; a pair of jointed legs on each of the three thoracic segments; two pairs of wings (the leathery tegmina and the membranous hind wings); long antennae; compound eyes; and anal cerci. A separate diagram of the biting-and-chewing mouthparts labels the labrum, mandibles, maxillae, labium and hypopharynx.
Internal diagrams follow the organ systems. The gut runs from the mouth through the crop and gizzard, with hepatic caecae where the foregut meets the midgut and Malpighian tubules at the start of the hindgut. Tracheae open at spiracles; circulation is open, with a tubular heart and haemolymph filling the body cavity; and a chain of ganglia runs along the ventral side. Male and female reproductive systems, including the ootheca (egg case), are often drawn separately.
In schools and colleges that no longer dissect, these sheets carry much of the anatomy teaching on their own.
Specifications
| Organism | Cockroach, Periplaneta americana |
| Diagrams usually included | External features, mouthparts, digestive, respiratory, circulatory, nervous and reproductive systems |
| Level | Senior secondary and undergraduate zoology |
| Use | Type study, diagram practice, dissection-free teaching |
| Charts in the set and print specifics | Confirm at enquiry |
Care & Handling
- Hang the cockroach charts away from specimen shelves; preservative splashes stain paper permanently.
- Display the internal-system sheets one at a time, matched to the system being studied that week.
- Roll the sheets around a cardboard core for storage so the fine labels on the mouthparts diagram are not creased.
Applications
- Teaching the cockroach type study in senior secondary biology
- Comparing an open circulatory system with the closed system of vertebrates
- Diagram practice for mouthparts and the digestive system
- Supporting chart-based or virtual dissection lessons
Why Choose LabEquip
Senior secondary and college zoology departments usually order cockroach charts together with the Frog Charts, the matching vertebrate type study. Other titles are in Educational Charts, and orders go through the LabEquip contact page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the cockroach used as a type study?
It is widely available, large enough to see its parts, and shows the typical insect body plan: three body regions, three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes and tracheal breathing. Learning one insect in detail makes others easier to understand.
What are the mouthparts of a cockroach?
They are of the biting-and-chewing type: an upper lip (labrum), a pair of toothed mandibles, a pair of maxillae, a lower lip (labium) and a tongue-like hypopharynx in the middle.
What are Malpighian tubules?
Thin yellowish tubules at the junction of the midgut and hindgut that remove nitrogenous waste from the haemolymph. They are the main excretory organs of the cockroach.
Why is the cockroach’s circulatory system called open?
The blood is not confined to vessels throughout. It is pumped forward by a tubular heart and then flows through open spaces (the haemocoel), bathing the organs directly before returning to the heart.
How does a cockroach breathe?
Air enters through small openings called spiracles along the sides of the body and passes through branching tubes called tracheae, which carry oxygen straight to the tissues rather than via the blood.
Are the charts useful if the school does not dissect?
Yes. Detailed charts with every organ labelled are one of the main alternatives to dissection, alongside models and digital resources, and they let every student see the same clear anatomy.
Last Updated: September 2026
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