---
title: "What the sources say about the American Cockroach | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "38 claims from the American Cockroach profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the American Cockroach (*Periplaneta americana*)

> 38 claims from the American Cockroach profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [American Cockroach](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/american-cockroach/)

## Full & Tu (1991). Mechanics of A Rapid Running Insect: Two-, Four-and Six-Legged Locomotion. Journal of Experimental Biology.

https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.156.1.215

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A cockroach that switches to running on four legs, and on two, at up to 50 body lengths per second. | At the highest speeds (1.0-1.5 ms-1 or 50 body lengths per second), P. americana switched to quadrupedal and bipedal running. (note: tagline) |
| Switches from six-legged to four-legged and two-legged running at up to 50 body lengths per second | At the highest speeds (1.0-1.5 ms-1 or 50 body lengths per second), P. americana switched to quadrupedal and bipedal running. (note: stats.superpower; six-legged from the title and the tripod gait) |
| is built for speed | one of the fastest invertebrates ever studied |
| In a 1991 study, scientists measured its running on a miniature force platform | we used a miniature force platform to measure the ground reaction forces of the smallest and, relative to its mass, one of the fastest invertebrates ever studied, the American cockroach Periplaneta americana (note: 1991 is the reference year field) |
| The study calls it, relative to its mass, one of the fastest invertebrates ever studied | relative to its mass, one of the fastest invertebrates ever studied |
| gives that mass as 0.83 grams. | the American cockroach Periplaneta americana (mass = 0.83 g) (note: Mass the 1991 abstract gives for the animals it measured; the body scopes it to the study, not the species, and does not say how many animals.) |
| Between 0.44 and 1.0 metres per second, it ran with an alternating tripod stepping pattern. | From 0.44-1.0 ms-1, P. americana used an alternating tripod stepping pattern. |
| At the highest speeds, 1.0 to 1.5 metres per second or 50 body lengths per second, it switched to running on four legs and on two. | At the highest speeds (1.0-1.5 ms-1 or 50 body lengths per second), P. americana switched to quadrupedal and bipedal running. |
| Its stride frequency came close to the 27 beats per second of its wings in flight. | Stride frequency approached the wing beat frequencies used during flight (27 Hz). (note: Hz = beats per second.) |
| switches to running on four legs and on two at up to 50 body lengths per second | At the highest speeds (1.0-1.5 ms-1 or 50 body lengths per second), P. americana switched to quadrupedal and bipedal running. (note: vibe.reason, animal half) |

## Sabree, Kambhampati & Moran (2009). Nitrogen recycling and nutritional provisioning by Blattabacterium , the cockroach endosymbiont. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0907504106

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Cockroaches, unlike most terrestrial insects, excrete waste nitrogen within their fat bodies as uric acids. | Cockroaches, unlike most terrestrial insects, excrete waste nitrogen within their fat bodies as uric acids |
| In most cockroaches a bacterium called Blattabacterium lives in those fat bodies | The fat bodies of most cockroaches are inhabited by Blattabacterium (note: Source: most cockroaches; the genome sequenced was from P. americana.) |
| the genome of the one from P. americana indicates it can recycle nitrogen and make all of the essential amino acids. | We have sequenced completely the Blattabacterium genome from Periplaneta americana ... Metabolic reconstruction indicates that it lacks recognizable uricolytic enzymes, but it can recycle nitrogen from urea and ammonia ... Blattabacterium can produce all of the essential amino acids |
| The authors say this ancient partnership has allowed cockroaches to subsist on nitrogen-poor diets. | The ancient association with Blattabacterium has allowed cockroaches to subsist successfully on nitrogen-poor diets |

## Barbara. American Cockroach, Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus) (Insecta: Blattodea: Blattidae). University of Florida IFAS Extension, Featured Creatures (EENY-141).

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN298

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Mainly basements, sewers, steam tunnels and drainage systems, worldwide | The American cockroach has spread throughout the world by commerce. It is found mainly in basements, sewers, steam tunnels, and drainage systems (note: stats.habitat) |
| An omnivorous scavenger that will eat almost anything | The American cockroach is an omnivorous and opportunistic feeder. It consumes decaying organic matter but is a scavenger and will eat almost anything. (note: stats.diet) |
| A University of Florida guide calls it an omnivorous, opportunistic feeder that will eat almost anything. | The American cockroach is an omnivorous and opportunistic feeder. It consumes decaying organic matter but is a scavenger and will eat almost anything |
| It prefers sweets, but has been seen eating paper, boots, hair and dead insects. | It prefers sweets, but has also been observed eating paper, boots, hair, bread, fruit, book bindings, fish, peanuts, old rice, putrid sake, the soft part on the inside of animal hides, cloth, and dead insects |
| the species was introduced to the United States from Africa as early as 1625. | The American cockroach ( Periplaneta americana ) was introduced to the United States from Africa as early as 1625 |
| It has spread throughout the world by commerce. | The American cockroach has spread throughout the world by commerce. |
| It is found mainly in basements, sewers, steam tunnels and drainage systems. | It is found mainly in basements, sewers, steam tunnels, and drainage systems |
| More than 5,000 are sometimes found in individual sewer manholes. | They can develop to enormous numbers, greater than 5,000 sometimes being found in individual sewer manholes |
| Outdoors, it lives in moist, shady places such as hollow trees, wood piles and mulch. | Outdoors, American cockroaches are found in moist, shady areas such as hollow trees, wood piles, and mulch. |
| It responds negatively to light, and by day it rests near water pipes, sinks, baths and toilets. | During the day the American cockroach, which responds negatively to light, rests in harborages close to water pipes, sinks, baths, and toilets (note: 'so' links two facts the sentence gives in one clause.) |
| It is the largest of the common peridomestic cockroaches, meaning the ones living around people, at an average of 4 centimetres long. | is the largest of the common peridomestic cockroaches measuring on average 4 cm (1.5 in) in length (note: 'living around people' is the gloss of peridomestic.) |
| A female lays her eggs in a hardened, purse-shaped egg case called an ootheca. | Females of the American cockroach lay their eggs in a hardened, purse-shaped egg case called an ootheca. |
| On average she makes one a month for ten months, with 16 eggs in each | The females on average produce one egg case a month for ten months, laying 16 eggs per egg case. |
| and produces about 150 young in her lifetime. | an adult female will produce an average of 150 young in her lifetime |
| Growing from egg to adult averages about 600 days, and the adult life span may be another 400 days. | The life cycle from egg to adult averages about 600 days, and the adult life span may be another 400 days. |
| A University of Florida guide says it was brought into the United States from Africa as early as 1625. | was introduced to the United States from Africa as early as 1625 |
| It counts 47 species in the genus Periplaneta, and not one of them is endemic to the US. | Forty-seven species are included in the genus Periplaneta , none of which are endemic to the US (note: Forty-seven = 47.) |
| Several parasitic wasps. They deposit their own eggs in the cockroach egg case, which prevents the cockroach nymphs from emerging. | These parasitic wasps deposit their eggs in the cockroach ootheca preventing the emergence of cockroach nymphs. |
| One of them is Aprostocetus hagenowii. | Aprostocetus hagenowii (Ratzeburg) is one of several parasitic wasps that attack American cockroach |
| The guide adds that insecticides may kill off these wasps. | When insecticides and sprays are used to manage cockroach populations, they may ultimately kill off the parasitic wasps. |

## Periplaneta americana (American cockroach). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Periplaneta_americana/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Not Evaluated | No special status (note: Prefetch found no Red List assessment DOI and GBIF holds no category for this name. ADW's IUCN Red List line reads "No special status".) |
| Animal Diversity Web lists it as worldwide in distribution. | It is currently worldwide in distribution. |
| Animal Diversity Web says adult females live about 440 days at ordinary room conditions of around 20°C, but about 225 days at 29°C, where adult males live about 200 days. | Adult females live about 440 days (range 102-588; maximum 913) at ordinary room conditions(e.g. 70°F/20°C), but at 84°F/29°C, adult females live about 225 days (range 90-706), whereas adult males live about 200 days (range 90-362) at 84°F/29°C. (note: faq 2. Replaces the IFAS "Adults can live up to one year", which contradicts the same page's "adult life span may be another 400 days".) |

## Sutherland, Choe & Rust (2019). Pest Notes: Cockroaches. UC Statewide IPM Program, UC ANR Publication 7467.

https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7467.html

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| tags: nocturnal | During the day, roaches hide in warm, dark, moist areas like cracks, water meter boxes, sewers, and crawl spaces. They come out at night to feed. (note: Pest note covering the five California pest cockroaches, the American cockroach among them; it adds 'Almost all cockroaches are nocturnal.' EDIS's species page has the day half: harborages 'During the day'.) |