What Family Do Cockroach Belong To?
The cockroach is one of the world’s most common insects, with over 4,000 species. Despite their name, most cockroaches are not pests that can cause harm to humans. While most species do not have any contact with humans, the name “cockroach” comes from the Spanish word “cucaracha” (a cockroach-like creature, which is also the name of a folk song in Spain). Cockroaches belong to the Blattodea family, which means “shy insect”. Unlike many other species, they do not lay eggs inside a nest, so they cannot transmit disease to humans.
While cockroaches and most other insects are related, the taxonomy of cockroaches is quite varied. They share a common wing structure with other insects and have similar specialized mouthparts. Cockroaches are the most common type of insect in the world, but they differ in size and habits from one another.
Cockroaches are grouped into five families. The Blattodea are the oldest, with fossils of ancestral cockroaches dating back to the Paleozoic. A large percentage of cockroach species are aquatic, and the majority of these are found in tropical regions. The largest concentrations of aquatic cockroaches are found in the Indomalaya and Neotropical regions.
The German cockroach is also a member of this family. It is slightly smaller than the brown-banded cockroach, and has two light-colored bands across its back. These cockroaches lay their eggs in cracks in wood moldings, clothes, and floorboards.