Genus Blatta

Classification · Identification

Oriental Cockroach - Blatta orientalis - male

large roach at a standing water source - Blatta orientalis

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Blattodea (Cockroaches and Termites)

Superfamily Blattoidea

Family Blattidae

Genus Blatta

Identification

Only two species from this genus are found in North America. The most common is the Oriental Cockroach (Blatta orientalis). As adults, the male has wings that cover about 2/3 of the abdomen:

The Oriental Cockroach adult females have very small wings that do not touch in the middle:

The Turkistan cockroach (Blatta lateralis) adult females can be easily differentiated by the presence of white stripes along the side of the thorax:

The males do not look much like Oriental Cockroach males, but also have the lateral white stripes:

A species that is often confused with the Oriental Cockroach is the Florida Woods Cockroach (Eurycotis floridana), which has very small wings (like Oriental Cockroach females) but these wings touch in the middle of the back:

Contributed by Hannah Nendick-Mason on 7 October, 2005 - 9:49am
Additional contributions by John Carlson
Last updated 14 September, 2009 - 12:48am

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