General Information

COMMON NAMES: Surinam Cockroach; German Surinamschabe TRADITIONAL NAMES: Popolonga (PK) GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: RANGE Melanesia - New Caledonia - Cooks COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; S.Group - common and widespread; ?N.Group; Land, horticultural; burrows in litter and soil SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Pest - domestic KEY FEATURES: A wide-bodied cockroach to 20mmBL. HEADSHIELD black with pale anterior margin, WINGCOVERS brown. An all-female species. Lives under leaves and debris. SIMILAR SPECIES: Pacific Beetle-Cockroach (Diploptera punctata) has headshield uniform (vs pale front-margin); and headshield and wings uniform dark brown (vs. shield black, wings brown)

Cook Islands Distribution

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Southern Group: Present    Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
++++

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
			++

Pycnoscelus surinamensis (L.)
SYNONYMS: Leucophaea surinamensis

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ARTHROPODA; ATELOCERATA; HEXAPODA; INSECTA; PTERYGOTA; Blattodea; BLATTIDAE

IDENTIFICATION: A squat cockroach with a black headshield, to 20mmBL. HEADSHIELD black with pale brown anterior edge extending along the sides. WINGCOVERS brown, extending to rear of abdomen or a little beyond. LARVAE headshield and next 4 segments glossy brown, rest dull brown.

GENERAL NOTE: The Surinam Cockroach (Pycnoscelus surinamensis) is an all-female species reproducing by parthenogenesis, sometimes producing non-maturing males. It is widespread in the Pacific, and on some islands it is found with the related bisexual species Pycnoscelus indicus. Whether one or both species are present in the Cook Islands has not been investigated, although most, if not all, are the unisexual species. Intermediate host of nematode, chicken eyeworm, Oxyspirura mansoni in poultry.

Vouchers:
Pukapuka: fieldspecimen, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Pycnoscelus surinamensis.

References:
Special Reference: PM79

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD02

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