Ectobius pallidus - female, on wood

This one was found by Ben Gaxiola on his front door in Vlaardingen (Netherlands), very late in the year and in the middle of town - both quite unusual for this species, so at first we expected it to be one of two new arrivals (expansive species from the south of Europe). I shot these images for ID and discussion, but the species is still missing on JD, so hey ...
Here are other shots of the same individual:

comments (11)

Flown Kimmerling

Lion

What a beautiful cockroach! The translucency of the wings is really nice! Posted 6 years ago
1. Pudding4brains
  
  Lion
  
  Thanks Lisa - yes she's a pretty girl :o) It turns out that from mediocre pictures these are much harder to separate from the new arrivals than I had previously expected. With this species also turning up in strange, synantropic locations and oddball timing it makes validating observations on our biodiversity platform at waarneming.nl quite a but iffier :o( Posted 6 years ago
2. 1. Flown Kimmerling
    
    Lion
    
    So this is an introduced species to your area? Very interesting. Did humans bring them along or is climate change playing a part?
    
    Also, I fixed the buggy ID/profile for this species. Posted 6 years ago
  2. 1. Pudding4brains
      
      Lion
      
      Nono, this one is native! It's just that we have two new arrivals (Ectobius vittiventris, originally from Italy and working its way up north via Switzerland and Germany for about a decade now, and Planuncus tingitanus s.l. originally from North-Africa and travelling up north via Iberia and France for some 2-3 decades) that both recently reached the Netherlands. Both new species rely on human activity for transport and survival (living close to our heated buildings but unable to survive let alone procreate inside!), so these are generally found in our towns and on the walls of our homes (etc) occasionally coming in through an open window, especially in fall when they are looking for a place to hide for winter.
      The thing is, that this native species (Ectobius pallidus) is normally found in natural conditions and needs warm spots in sand dunes to procreate. It sometimes comes to light (it flies quite well), but usually to homes at the outskirts of towns, near their suitable habitats. Very unusual to find it in the middle of a larger town, especially this time of the year(!)
      All three species mentioned are quite pale, with subtle differences setting them apart, so with "bad" images I have also relied on time of year and location (town/natural) to help me in fixing an ID. This observation and a few recent other ones undermine that extra consideration :-/
      Just noticed that E. vittiventris is also still missing on JD. Will dig some images up ... :o)
      Thanks for fixing the profile - I hadn't looked at it yet (happy that something was automagically parsed from Wikipedia).
      Cheers! Arp Posted 6 years ago
    2. 1. Flown Kimmerling
        
        Lion
        
        Ohhh! I misunderstood! Sorry about that. I'm still waking up here in Georgia! ;D
        
        Those sound a lot like our Periplaneta americana here (in terms of hanging out near warm buildings). We've had an influx of them with the recent cold temperatures (and flooding), so I'm not particularly happy about it. Luckily, we have a cat that does pest control and likes pouncing bugs! :D
        
        I look forward to seeing photos of the other similar species! Posted 6 years ago
      2. Pudding4brains
        
        Lion
        
        Here is an image of Ectobius vittiventris that I just added:
        
        We already had Planuncus tingitanus (s.l.). I should try to find better images, but I have far less of this species:
        
        These species are not related to your Periplanetas. Our Ectobiidae are much, much smaller (around 8-12mm for most versus some 40mm for Periplaneta) and Periplaneta can survive and procreate in our homes, especially in more southern locations and is (hence) generally considered a "pest". These little ones don't deserve that status, even if the new arrivals live on the outside of our buildings due to our climate (still) being somewhat too cold for these southern species (especially in winter).
        Posted 6 years ago, modified 6 years ago
        
        Flown Kimmerling
        
        Lion
        
        I figured they weren't related. I guess I just find it interesting that a lot of insects like to cozy up in human abodes. Makes for an annoyance for us, but I think humans are probably an even GREATER annoyance to a lot of wildlife.
        
        And wow! They are rather small! Posted 6 years ago
        
        Pudding4brains
        
        Lion
        
        Yes, most people will overlook them and not worry too much. Nevertheless, size wise they are comparable to the smaller "pests" such as Blattella germanica and Supella longipalpa. Posted 6 years ago

Christine Young

Lion

GORGEOUS! Even the cerci are patterned and fancy <3 Posted 6 years ago
1. Pudding4brains
  
  Lion
  
  Hi Christine, she's still sitting here, waiting for another modelling session, so I'll tell her that the first series was received favourably by the North American jury :o) Posted 6 years ago
2. 1. Christine Young
    
    Lion
    
    Yes, definitely! Females love such compliments, especially if they are cockroaches. Posted 6 years ago

The Tawny cockroach

Ectobius pallidus (Olivier 1789) is a species of non-cosmopolitan cockroach in the family Ectobiidae. The species is native to western Europe and North Africa. In the UK, where it is known from southern England, it has colloquially been dubbed the "Tawny cockroach". In North America the vernacular names "Spotted Mediterranean Cockroach" or "Pallid Cockroach" have been pitched.

Info 8 0

Similar species: Cockroaches And Termites

Species identified by Pudding4brains