Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods) ➔ Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods) ➔ Class Insecta (Insects) ➔ Order Blattodea (Cockroaches, termites) ➔ Family Blattidae
Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus, 1758)
Amerikanische Großschabe American Cockroach
Synonyms and other combinations:
Periplaneta americana Linnaeus, 1758 ? | Periplaneta americana colorata Rehn, J. A. G., 1901 | Periplaneta aurelianensis Fourcroy, 1785 | Periplaneta domicola Risso, 1826 | Periplaneta ferrugineofusca Gronovius, 1764 | Periplaneta heros Eschscholtz, 1822 | Periplaneta kakkerlac De Geer, 1773 | Periplaneta orientalis Sulzer, 1776 | Periplaneta siccifolia Stoll, 1813 | Periplaneta stolida Walker, F., 1868 |
(?: ambiguous synonym)
ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma
2013-12-05 19:50:23
conf. Arp Kruithof
ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma
2017-12-07 08:57:37
ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma
2017-12-07 08:50:07
bottom view
ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma
2017-12-07 08:48:13
bottom view
ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma
2017-12-07 08:49:48
nymph
ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma
2013-11-30 21:59:16
det. Arp Kruithof
nymph
ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma
2013-11-30 21:59:36
Further vernacular names:
Bombay Canary, Ship CockroachClassification:
Periplaneta americana belongs to the subfamily Blattinae.Distribution:
Cosmopolitan (African origin)Habitat:
Preferably in tropical warm and humid areas; outside the tropics in sheltered places such as basements, greenhouses and sewers.Habitus:
Males of the reddish brown American cockroach have a body length of 34 - 53 mm. Females are 29 - 36 mm long.Adults of Periplaneta americana differs from those of the slightly smaller Periplaneta australasiae occurring in the same habitat by the absence of the yellowish longitudinal stripe at the base of the outer edge of the fore wings.
Biology:
The American cockroach is a heat-loving and moisture-loving species that can not overwinter in the field under Central European climatic conditions.The females of Periplaneta americana lay 14 to 16 eggs in a dark brown ootheca. Oothecae are stable cocoons in which the eggs are glued together. The Ootheca is placed on a humid place suitable for the development of the larvae, where sufficient food is available. A female produces about 9 - 10 ootheks in his lifetime. After 4 to 8 weeks, the young larvae hatch from the eggs. Until they reach sexual maturity, larvae shed their skin 7 to 13 times. Overall, the larval stage lasts 5-15 months. The adult life span is 90 days to 2 years for the females and up to one year for the males. The development is strongly influenced by the environmental conditions, such as temperature and food supply.
Adults fly at temperatures above 21 °C. The very quick cockroaches are often active after dark. American cockroaches are omnivores. They feed on a variety of organic materials.
References, further reading, links:
- Beccaloni G.W. (2016). CockroachSF: Cockroach Species File (version 5.0/5.0, Dec 2015). In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life, 2016 Annual Checklist (Roskov Y., Abucay L., Orrell T., Nicolson D., Flann C., Bailly N., Kirk P., Bourgoin T., DeWalt R.E., Decock W., De Wever A., eds). Digital resource at www.catalogueoflife.org/annual-checklist/2016. Species 2000: Naturalis, Leiden, the Netherlands. ISSN 2405-884X.
- Matzke, D.: Beiträge zur Insektenfauna Sachsens - Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Larven sächsischer Schaben, Mitteilungen Sächsischer Entomologen, Bd.32 (2013), Nr.105, 68-71
- Robinson, William H.: Urban Insects and Arachnids: A Handbook of Urban Entomology, Cambridge University Press, 14 April 2005, pp. 45–46, 51–54. ISBN 978-0-521-81253-5.