Length: Adult is 30-40 mm
Colour: Adult is shiny reddish-brown with a paler yellow area around the edge of the pronotum.
Other Features: The fully developed tegmina extend well beyond the tip of the abdomen in the adult male, but only just overlap the abdomen of the adult female.
The American cockroach is the largest of the common cockroaches. This species can fly but flight is rare and sluggish. Each egg case usually contains 16 eggs which are indiscriminately dropped by the female. The incubation period of the egg ranges from 24-60 days, depending on the surrounding temperatures. After the young cockroach nymph emerges from the egg capsule, it undergoes seven to ten moults before reaching the adult stage. The adult life span can be up to two years, during which time the female can produce 10 to 15 egg cases. The American cockroach prefers a warm moist environment. It is frequently found on surfaces where food is stored or prepared, in restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores, and other premises. Utility tunnels housing hot water pipes are also a preferred habitat of this cockroach.
