ARTHROPOD MUSEUM NOTES
Number 3 • 2002 • Jeffrey K. Barnes
Genus and species: Parcoblatta pennsylvanica (DeGeer)
The woods cockroach, Parcoblatta pennsylvanica, is a fairly large, harmless, native species. It normally lives outdoors in hollow trees, under bark, and in piles of dead wood, such as firewood. In the spring, the male cockroaches may invade homes in moist woodland areas, such as the Ozarks. The large males, up to an inch long, with wings that cover the tip of the abdomen, are attracted to lights around homes during their May and June mating season. The smaller females have short wings that extend only to about the middle of the abdomen. Bother males and females have the pronotum and anterior outer edges of the wings margined with pale yellow bands. The short-winged females and wingless nymphs, which are rarely found indoors, resemble wingless Oriental cockroach nymphs. Woods roaches cause no damage, and they do not spread disease. They usually die within a few days indoors.
• Penn State Entomological Notes