Blattodea

other insect groups • insects (plant pests) • pests-diseases-weeds

Periplaneta americana adult (click on image to enlarge it)
Author(s): Gary Alpert
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Blattodea - (cockroaches)

In this group the head is covered by a large, shield-like pronotum. Various species are household and storage pests.

There are several taxonomic systems treating the term "Blattodea" differently. There is general agreement that the 3 groups of cockroaches, termites and mantids are closely related and they have been classified under the superorder "Dictyoptera" (Dictyoptera is also a genus of beetles). For some taxonomists, the termites (here classified under the order of Isoptera) should be part of the order Blattodea.

For details see the respective page in Wikipedia.

The following genera and individual species are currently entered under Blattodea:

• Blaptica dubia
• Blatta orientalis
• Blattella (genus)
• Nauphoeta cinerea

• Periplaneta (genus)
• Pycnoscelus surinamensis
• Supella longipalpa