The smokybrown cockroach, Periplaneta fuliginosa, is a fairly large roach, and one of my personal favorites. It is closely related to the american cockroach P. americana, however is easily distinguishable from it. It has a uniformly dark brown mahogany colour. Its thorax is dark and shiny, unlike the light rimmed pattern of the American cockroach. This is one of the most popular cockroaches, and one of the most loathed. It is very common in Japan and the sub-tropical southern US as an introduced peridomestic species. In some localities it may account for almost 80% of cockroaches captured near homes. This roach can be found in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and other moist gulf coastal states, and along the southern Mississippi River.
It prefers warmer climates and is not cold tolerant, however, it may be able to survive indoors in colder climates. It does well in moist conditions and it seems to be most commonly concentrated in moist concealed areas. It often lives around the perimeter of buildings, and it is common species outdoors. It can feed off a wide array of organic (including decaying) matter; like most cockroaches, it is a scavenger. It tends to lose more moisture than its relatives and requires water every 2-3 days.
It may come indoors to look for food, and even to live, however, in warm weather it may move outdoors and enter buildings looking for food.
More on the Periplaneta species:
- There are over 50 species in the genus Periplaneta, from P. aboriginea of Australia to P. vosseleri of Tanzania.
- None of the Periplaneta species are endemic to the Americas; despite the name, P. americana was introduced to the United States from Africa as early as 1625. They are now common in tropical climates because human activity has extended the insect’s range of habitation, and global shipping has transported the insects all around the world.
- Periplaneta is nocturnal, negatively phototactic, and prefers dark warm, moist habitats. It is acutely sensitive to vibrations and is one of the world’s fastest running insects.
- Periplaneta americana is one of several cockroaches found near (peridomestic) or in (domiciliary) human habitations. Such insects are referred to as synanthropic (= with man).
- Cockroach population density is controlled naturally by several species of parasitic wasps including Evania and Aprostocetus that attack cockroach oothecae (egg cases).
- Periplaneta, nor any other type of cockroaches, are actual biological vectors for human disease, although they can serve as mechanical vectors simply by harboring infectious organisms such as Ascaris eggs, bacteria, or protozoan cysts on their body surfaces. The American cockroach is the host for the cystacanth stage of the rat intestinal acanthocephalan, Moniliformis moniliformis.
- Periplaneta is available at modest cost, alive or preserved, from biological supply companies. They are useful laboratory specimens.