American Cockroach
Periplaneta americana
This record describes Periplaneta americana (species). Recorded family: Blattidae. Recorded order: Blattodea.
Identification and Appearance
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Terms from the source record, grouped for readability. Broad terms such as size or location are not measurements or a confirmed range.
Wikipedia reference for Periplaneta americana: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_cockroach.
Classification
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
The American cockroach can run up to 3.4 mph - proportionally, that's like a human running 210 mph. They can survive without their head for up to a week. Cockroaches have existed for approximately 320 million years, predating dinosaurs by 150 million years.
About Cockroaches and Termites: the wider group
Order-level background for Blattodea, the group containing Periplaneta americana. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
Blattodea includes ~4,600 cockroach species and ~3,000 termite species. Only about 30 cockroach species are associated with human habitats - less than 1% of all species.
Ecological role of the group
Termites contribute ~40% of soil arthropod biomass globally, far exceeding ants at ~10%. Cockroaches are ancient insects dating back 320 million years and are critical decomposers in tropical forest ecosystems, recycling leaf litter and dead wood.
Economic and practical significance of the group
Termites cause $5-30 billion in damage to structures in the U.S. annually. They damage approximately 600,000 American homes each year, with average repair costs of $3,000-$17,000. A subterranean termite colony can consume one pound of wood per day.
Recorded sources for this group: USDA, Orkin, Today's Homeowner, PNAS soil biomass study. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
Photos of American Cockroach (11)
Photo credits: (c) Chris Brown, some rights reserved (CC BY). https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/404141298. Original downloaded bytes; proportional display only