Morphological Comparisons between Two Species of Blattella (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae)

Abstract

Asian, Blattella asahinai Mizukubo, and German cockroaches, Blattella germanica (L.), exhibit behavioral differences but are morphologically similar. Rcently, the Asian cockroach, has been introduced into Florida; it lives indoors and outdoors, is moving northward, and is a potential vector of disease. The German cockroach is cosmopolitan, lives indoors, has been found in food processing firms and warehouses, and is a known vector of disease. It has become a necessity in the food and pest control industry to differentiate between Asian and German cockroaches. A proper method of extermination may be developed by determining the species. The morphological differences in 4 body structures (left mandible, right tegmen, hind-wings, and cerci) that may be used to differentiate the 2 species are presented.