American cockroach Periplaneta americana
Where the American cockroach lives – recorded in 51 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.
Pin and shaded countries are approximate. The pin is a representative wild sighting (a central record among 3,829 open-licence GBIF records), not an official range. Method · Records on GBIF · See grasshoppers, bugs & other insects on the world map
| Scientific name | Periplaneta americana |
|---|---|
| Group | Grasshoppers, bugs & other insects |
| Found in | 51 countries |
| Continents | Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America |
| Class | Insect |
| Order | Blattodea |
| Family | Blattidae |
Where does the American cockroach live?
Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the American cockroach in 51 countries and territories across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America. In China, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Germany, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Israel, Japan, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Singapore, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), South Africa it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).
- United States
- Portugal (introduced)
- Spain (introduced)
- Mexico
- Brazil
- Australia
- Romania (introduced)
- United Kingdom (introduced)
- India
- Argentina
- Chinese Taipei
- Turkey
- Thailand
- Greece
- France (introduced)
- Malaysia
- South Africa (introduced)
- Japan (introduced)
- Italy
- China (introduced)
- Madagascar
- Peru
- Cyprus (introduced)
- Costa Rica (introduced)
- Israel (introduced)
- Vietnam
- Indonesia
- Morocco
- RĂ©union
- Guadeloupe
- Hong Kong
- Sri Lanka
- Malta
- Panama
- Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) (introduced)
- Canada
- Philippines
- Guam
- Puerto Rico
- Singapore (introduced)
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- Russia
- Sweden (introduced)
- Finland
- French Polynesia
- Vanuatu
- Cuba
- Germany (introduced)
- New Zealand
Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.
What kind of animal is the American cockroach?
The American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) is an insect in the order Blattodea and the family Blattidae, genus Periplaneta. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)
About the American cockroach
The American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) is the largest species of cockroach routinely found in homes, and often considered a pest. In certain regions of the U.S. it is colloquially known as the waterbug, though it is not a true waterbug since it is not aquatic, nor a Hemipteran. It is also known as the ship cockroach, kakerlac, and Bombay canary. It is often misidentified as a palmetto bug.
Despite their name, American cockroaches are native to Africa and the Middle East. They are believed to have been introduced to the Americas only from the 17th century onward as a result of human commercial patterns, including the Atlantic slave trade.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article American cockroach (revision 1378466586), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q267996 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).
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