I accidentally cut a cockroach's half part of the abdomen.

[satrohraj]

I was worrying about it survival..
How many hours can it survive? with out the last 4-5 segments?
I was watching it for 20 minutes..It was acting normal, running around..

My question is:
How long can a Cockroach survive without the last 5 segments? It's a male cockroach.
I think the cockroach is Periplanata Americana. (Common Indian cockroach)

[Beetle]

Hmmm, probably very long. Insects, unlike us dont need to have their hole body intact to function normaly. During my stuides i came to information that a decapitaded cockroach would die from starvation rather than the decapitation. Though i didnt try this. But they doesnt have much in their head to cause mass body function failure. And also there is cephalic domination (i think that is the term) when brain supress the other nerve centers like toracic ganglion or abdomenal ganglion, e.g. in Mantis religiosa, to fully function (when female eats the head of male during copulation and he continues to do it or even do it better). I know since i was a kid that insect can sustain high amount of damage before they eventualy die. Severed legs, pierced torax or abdomen, drowned, smashed, kicked.... i even tried to pump the body of insects with water or some other liquid and they didnt die (though depending of liquid). And many of that things would kill any higher animal several time. (yes i know i was very brutal child but also biologicaly curious, but i only did it on insects, i was never interested into experimenting on cats or dogs )

Your roach would probably die form dehidratation through that abdomenal opening. Maybe you can try to put one roach in normal enviroment and the other in very humid one like in a closed bottle. They dont say for nothing that roaches will outlive us all after the nuclear war.

[satrohraj]

Its been 28 hours... and still is alive..
But the movement is a bit slower..

[Dr.Stein]

It will be dead when it doesn't have food reservoir to provide its energy anymore

Even cockroach without head can live for several days but it will be dead soon after it doesn't have energy, which commonly obtained from eating or food reservoir in its body

[MrMistery]

yeah, i have heard that too. Some cockroaches can live 3 weeks without their head.

[Snake_Bis]

Omg, I didn't know it before... But is it the same for all insects ???

(My first message in your forum who I think I stay more time Interesting : I'm French so sorry for grammar mistakes... )

[satrohraj]

No Grammar mistakes ... you are good
i dont think so, Spiders die soon

[MrMistery]

But then again, spiders are not insects.
No, it is not the same for absolutely all insects...

[satrohraj]

Can't we call all arthropods as insects?
I know that insecta is a seperate class...but i always have had an impression that all arthopods are insects or insect-like

[MrMistery]

wrong impression

[AstusAleator]

spiders = chelicerates

[Dr.Stein]

Can't we call all arthropods as insects?
I know that insecta is a seperate class...but i always have had an impression that all arthopods are insects or insect-like

if I were your Animal Systematics lecturer, I would like to give you "E" mark for the class