German cockroach: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the German cockroach lives – recorded in 31 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Blattella germanica
Group	Grasshoppers, bugs & other insects
Found in	31 countries
Continents	Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America
Class	Insect
Order	Blattodea
Family	Blattellidae

Where does the German cockroach live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the German cockroach in 31 countries and territories across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America. In Belgium, China, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, South Africa it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).

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 German cockroach?

The German cockroach (Blattella germanica) is an insect in the order Blattodea and the family Blattellidae, genus Blattella. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the German cockroach

The German cockroach (Blattella germanica), colloquially known as the croton bug, is a species of small cockroach, typically about 1.1 to 1.6 cm (0.43 to 0.63 in) long. In color it varies from tan to almost black, and it has two dark, roughly parallel, streaks on the pronotum running anteroposteriorly from behind the head to the base of the wings. Although B. germanica has wings, it can barely fly, although it may glide when disturbed. Of the few species of cockroach that are domestic pests, it probably is the most widely troublesome example. It is very closely related to the Asian cockroach, and to the casual observer, the two appear nearly identical and may be mistaken for each other.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article German cockroach (revision 1375967594), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q466194 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).