Dictyoptera An order of insects (sometimes classified as Orthoptera) comprising the cockroaches (suborder Blattaria) and the mantids (suborder Mantodea), occurring mainly in tropical regions. Cockroaches are oval and flattened in shape; some have a single well-developed pair of wings, folded back over the abdomen at rest, while in others the wings may be reduced or absent. They are usually found in forest litter, feeding on dead organic matter, but some species, e.g. the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana), are major household pests, scavenging on starchy foods, fruits, etc. In most species the females produce capsules (oothecae) containing 16–40 eggs. These are either deposited or carried by the female during incubation.

Dictyoptera(class Insecta) Order of insects that includes the cockroaches and mantids. This classification is little used, the taxon having been split into the orders Blattodea (cockroaches) and Mantodea (mantids).