A comparison of behavioral alterations in the brown cockroach, Periplaneta brunnea, and the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, infected with the acanthocephalan, Moniliformis moniliformis.

We examined behavioral alterations in the brown cockroach, Periplaneta brunnea, infected with the acanthocephalan, Moniliformis moniliformis. The responses of infected and uninfected P. brunnea to light, substrate choice, and activity were compared. Infected brown cockroaches spent more time on white horizontal substrates under red and white light. Infected brown cockroaches also had a shorter freeze time than uninfected cockroaches after being presented with a light source. There was no difference in photophilia or activity of infected and uninfected brown cockroaches. These behavioral alterations in brown cockroaches were compared to those in Periplaneta americana, the American cockroach, infected with the same parasite. American and brown cockroaches differed in some responses to substrate, phototaxis, and activity.