Species Ectobius pallidus - Spotted Mediterranean Cockroach

Tawny Cockroach, Pallid Cockroach

Ectobius pallidus (Olivier 1789)

8–9.5 mm

Pale; both sexes fully winged.

Pronotal disc pale yellowish brown with marginal transparent, marked with reddish brown spots

male dorsal abdominal glandular depression oval, slightly transverse, hindmargin not reaching middle of 7th tergum

Members of this genus carry the ootheca with keel rotated 90 degrees:

In this species (as well as E. sylvestris) the ventral margin of the front femora have three longer spines (just visible at the middle of the front femur in this image) followed by a row of much shorter spines (look like fuzz in this image). In E. lapponicus there are only two of the larger spines on specimens examined thus far in North America. However, the following individual was found to have only two spines, so this trait may not be reliable:

Native to Europe, adventive in NA (ME-MA-MI)(1)(BG data)

Omnivorous

2-yr life cycle; 6 nymphal instars

earliest record in our area: MA 1948(1)