Cook Islands Biodiversity & Natural Heritage
 

Periplaneta americana

Kararu

American Cockroach

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: American Cockroach; German Americkanische Schabe; French Blatte américaine

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Kararu (RR), Kararū / ‘Ue‘ue / Kōkōrōti (MG), Karauka (MK), Kararū (MT), Ka‘a (AK), Potipoti (TS TW), Popolonga (PK)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Africa; EXOTIC EXOTIC circumglobal, incl. New Caledonia - Easter, Hawai‘i

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; S.Group - v.common; N.Group - common; Land, horticultural

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Serious domestic pest

KEY FEATURES: The common cockroach of houses and buildings. A large brown cockroach, to 4cmBL, with long spiny legs. Headsheild with pale markings, often on anterior edge and branching up the midline.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Australian Cockroach (Periplaneta australasiae) had headshield (=pronotum) dark with complete contrasting yellow ring in from the edge (vs. ring less distinct); wingcover with yellow tapering stripe on front outer section (vs. uniformly brown). Brunnea Cockroach (Periplaneta brunnea) indistinguishable without very close inspection, differs in terminal plate (=supra-anal plate) narrow sharp and notched (vs. not notched in male, wide notch in female).

Enlarged Image of 'Periplaneta americana'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present    Makatea:
RR 
MG
AT
MK
MT
AK
PL
TK
MN
++++
++++
++++

Northern Group:
TN 
MH
RK
PK
NS
SW
++++

Key to Symbols

Pests & Hosts

Relationship Pests
Parasitoid (biocontrol) of cockroaches Ampulex compressaAprostocetus hagenowiiEvania appendigaster

Scientific Taxonomy

Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus, 1758)
SYNONYMS: Blatta americana

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ARTHROPODA; ATELOCERATA; HEXAPODA; INSECTA; PTERYGOTA; Blattodea; BLATTIDAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Serious domestic pest. Comments: NBSAP - Te Au-o-Tonga (6 of 11 animal pests), NBSAP - Takitumu (4 of 9 animal pests), NBSAP - Puaikura (7 of 12 animal pests), NBSAP - Aitutaki (2 of 10 animal pests), NBSAP - Mauke (4 of 10 animals), NBSAP - Mitiaro (4 of 9 animals)

IDENTIFICATION: Cockroach to 4cm. COLOUR usually mid-brown, with pale markings on headshield (usually contrasting, and often forming a fine anchor-shape anteriorly). WINGS FIRST hard, uniform brown.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: BESO specimens definite americana, and GM photo fits americana well with very fine anchor on anterior end (GM 2/2003 comparing specimens in BPBM). Pukapuka: fieldspecimen+photo, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Periplaneta americana.

References:
Special Reference: W&D79

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org. Copy citation to system clipboard
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