Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
genus Parcoblatta Hebard, 1917
synonym Ischnoptera Fox, 1917
synonym Platamodes Scudder, 1862
Type species: Blatta pennsylvanica De Geer, by subsequent designation
Numbers
12 species within the genus
Parcoblatta, all located in North America (
Blattodea species file):
Parcoblatta americana (Scudder, 1900)
Parcoblatta bolliana (Saussure & Zehntner, 1893)
Parcoblatta caudelli Hebard, 1917
Parcoblatta desertae (Rehn & Hebard, 1909)
Parcoblatta divisa (Saussure & Zehntner, 1893)
Parcoblatta fulvescens (Saussure & Zehntner, 1893)
Parcoblatta lata (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1865)
Parcoblatta notha (Rehn & Hebard, 1910)
Parcoblatta pennsylvanica (De Geer, 1773)
Parcoblatta uhleriana (Saussure, 1862)
Parcoblatta virginica (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1865)
Parcoblatta zebra Hebard, 1917
Identification
mostly dark brown with pale whitish or yellowish margin on pronotum and anterior half of elytra; head concealed under pronotum
adult males can fly, and their wings cover all of the abdomen; adult females are flightless, and their wings cover half of the abdomen; nymphs are wingless or have stubby wingpads
Range
Widespread across much of North America.
Distribution of species as listed in Blattodea Species File
Parcoblatta americana: Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizina, Mexico
Parcoblatta bolliana: USA
Parcoblatta caudelli: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Indiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas
Parcoblatta desertae: Texas
Parcoblatta divisa: USA
Parcoblatta fulvescens: Eastern USA
Parcoblatta lata: Eastern USA
Parcoblatta notha: Arizona
Parcoblatta pennsylvanica: Eastern USA, Quebec, Ontario
Parcoblatta uhleriana: Eastern USA
Parcoblatta virginica: Eastern USA
Parcoblatta zebra: Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas
Habitat
hollow trees, stumps, under loose bark, wood piles, crevices of rural buildings; sometimes accidentally carried into homes on pieces of firewood, and may occasionally enter homes on their own in wooded areas, especially during mating season (May and June)
males are attracted to artificial light, and may accumulate in rain gutters of homes
Season
adults from May to October
Life Cycle
overwinters as a partially-grown nymph under bark of trees; life cycle usually takes one year but may take as long as two years; adult lifespan several months; mating occurs outdoors in May and June; an egg capsule (containing up to 32 eggs) is deposited in summer, eggs hatch in about a month, and nymphs mature the following May or June
Remarks
Wood Roaches that enter homes wander aimlessly during the day (rather than congregating in a particular room and being active at night); they do not breed indoors, and will die within a few days due to insufficient moisture.
Internet References
pinned adult image of female with egg capsule (Insects of Cedar Creek, Minnesota)
live nymph image of
P. pennsylvanica (Steve Marshall, U. of Guelph, Ontario)
live adult image of female with egg capsule (U. of Michigan)
live adult image of male
P. pennsylvanica (Tree of Life, courtesy U. of Nebraska at Lincoln)
adult illustration of male, plus description, biology, and control (William Lyon, Ohio State U.)
images of all life stages of
P. pennsylvanica [courtesy U. of Nebraska] plus description, biology, and control (Pennsylvania State U.)
description, biology, behavior, and control (D.R. Suiter and P.G. Koehler, U. of Florida)
