CHESTERFIELD, Mo. — A lowly hissing cockroach at the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House in Chesterfield is causing a stir in the global scientific community.
Invertebrate Keeper Nicole Pruess found one of the cockroaches in House's collection was a bit discolored. Upon further examination, Pruess saw the cockroach was split down the middle with one side having a bronze color and the other a darker brown.
The mutant cockroach has since been named Harvey, a reference to the D.C. comics villain Harvey Dent, also known as Two-Face.
The color difference may be just a novelty to some, but Pruess knew it could mean big things for insect research.
“Finding the mutant hissing cockroach was very exciting, and perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Pruess said in a Missouri Botanical Garden press release. “I had never seen anything like it in person before, but I knew that it was special.”
The coloration could mean multiple things, but researchers currently have two theories.
The first theory is that Harvey is a chimera, a living being that has two sets of DNA. That's already rare, but Harvey's two horns mean the mutation would be two male sets of DNA, which is even rarer.
"[Chimeras are] estimated to occur in one out of every 250,000 insects. However, insect chimera mutations that contain two sets of male DNA are incredibly rare and an insect with two different colorations is unique," the Garden's press release said.
The second theory is that the cockroach had a single-cell mutation early in its development. Researchers hope to get to the bottom of the mystery with the help of the global research community.
“It's interesting to have multiple researchers weighing in that have different opinions on what is going on with the cockroach,” said Tad Yankoski, senior entomologist at the House. “Part of being a scientist is exploring multiple theories, and in unique cases like this, we’re always excited to get a new perspective.”
Unfortunately for those interested in seeing Harvey, he is not currently on public display due to his scientific significance.
Top St. Louis headlines
Get the latest news and details throughout the St. Louis area from 5 On Your Side broadcasts here.
