German cockroach
Blattella germanica (Linnaeus, 1767)
Status not recordedinsects
The german cockroach (Blattella germanica) is an insect in the order Blattodea and the family Blattellidae. It is also called the Crotonbug, and its scientific name carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1767).
Quick facts about the german cockroach
Checklists record it in Chile, Germany, Egypt, Iran and Poland. It is a living species placed in the superfamily Blaberoidea, the tribe Blattellini and the genus Blattella.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- 1.1 cm – 1.6 cmsrc for Length
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Omnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Reproduction
- Eggssrc for Reproduction
- Conservation status
- Not recorded
- Countries on record
- 5 countriessrc for Countries on record
How big is the german cockroach?
Photos of the german cockroach
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
_%E2%80%93_Feeding_on_a_Dying_Conspecific.jpg){kind=link}
_probably_(43118262090).jpg){kind=link}
Where does the german cockroach live?
Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.
The german cockroach is listed for 5 countries.
- Listed
- Not listed
The same countries as a list
Why a country list is not a range map
Listed by: SF Blattodea (scope: worldwide), through the Catalogue of Life.
Where has it been introduced?
The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the german cockroach as introduced in 18 countries, and flagged as invasive in 6 of them.
- Canary Islandsinvasive
- Chinainvasive
- Japaninvasive
- Latviainvasive
- Swedeninvasive
- United Arab Emiratesinvasive
- Belgium
- Costa Rica
- Cyprus
- Denmark
- Ecuador
- Estonia
- Ireland
- Israel
- Poland
- South Africa
- Spain
- United States
Also listed for parts of: France (French Southern and Antarctic Lands Terres australes et antarctiques françaises (TAAF), Saint Barthelemy).
Introduced means brought by people and now present; invasive means the country's checklist records an impact. A species can be native to one part of a country and introduced in another. Source: Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (CC BY 4.0).
What is the german cockroach?
The German cockroach (Blattella germanica), colloquially known as the croton bug, is a species of small cockroach, typically about 1.1 to 1.6 cm (0.43 to 0.63 in) long. In color it varies from tan to almost black, and it has two dark, roughly parallel, streaks on the pronotum running anteroposteriorly from behind the head to the base of the wings. Although B. germanica has wings, it can barely fly, although it may glide when disturbed. Of the few species of cockroach that are domestic pests, it probably is the most widely troublesome example. It is very closely related to the Asian cockroach, and to the casual observer, the two appear nearly identical and may be mistaken for each other.
From the Wikipedia article “German cockroach” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=German_cockroach&oldid=1375967594), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the german cockroach endangered?
No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.
How is the german cockroach classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumArthropoda
- classInsecta
- orderBlattodea
- familyBlattellidae
- genusBlattella
- SpeciesBlattella germanica (Linnaeus, 1767)
Synonyms Blatta asiatica, Blatta bivittata, Blatta daurica, Blatta germanica, Blatta obliquata, Blatta parallela, Blatta transfuga, Blattella cunei-vittata, Blattella germanica subsp. shuguroffi, Ectobia germanica, Ectobia germanica, Eublattella cuneivittata, Ischnoptera bivittata, Ischnoptera paralella, Ischnoptera parallela, Phyllodromia cuneivittata, Phyllodromia germanica, Phyllodromia magna, Phyllodromia niitakana
Other names and names in other languages (48)
- CrotonbugEnglish
- صرصور ألمانيArabic
- cucaracha alemanaAsturian
- Германска хлебаркаBulgarian
- Panerola rossaCatalan
- rus domácíCzech
- Tysk kakerlakDanish
- Almindelig kakerlakDanish
- RusseGerman
- Deutsche SchabeGerman
- FranzoseGerman
- PreußeGerman
- SchwabenkäferGerman
- Cucaracha rubiaSpanish
- PrussakasEstonian
- russakkaFinnish
- blatte germaniqueFrench
- תיקן גרמניHebrew
- Smeđi žoharCroatian
- német csótányHungarian
- チャバネゴキブリJapanese
- 독일바퀴Korean
- PrūšLivonian
- Naminis prūsokasLithuanian
- PrusaksLatvian
- virtuves prusaksLatvian
- tysk kakerlakkNorwegian Bokmål
- Duitse kakkerlakDutch
- Karaczan prusakPolish
- Barata-germânicaPortuguese
- ПрусакRussian
- Таракан рыжийRussian
- rus domovýSlovak
- švabSlovenian
- nemški ščurekSlovenian
- БубарусаSerbian
- tysk kackerlackaSwedish
- แมลงสาบเยอรมันThai
- tsusuTswana
- lefelaTswana
- lefeleTswana
- sebatibogogoTswana
- Прусак рудийUkrainian
- Тарган рудийUkrainian
- BrusakVeps
- 德國姬蠊Chinese
- 德國小蠊Chinese
- 德國蟑螂Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMS
Relatives of the german cockroach
Other species in the same genus Blattella.
Asian cockroach
Blattella asahinai
Field cockroach
Blattella vaga
Tworidge roach
Blattella biligata
False German cockroach
Blattella lituricollis
CompareGerman cockroach vs Asian cockroachGerman cockroach vs Field cockroachGerman cockroach vs Tworidge roachGerman cockroach vs False German cockroach
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the german cockroach?
The german cockroach is an insect in the order Blattodea and the family Blattellidae.
What is the scientific name of the german cockroach?
Its scientific name is Blattella germanica.
Which countries is the german cockroach recorded in?
Checklists record it in Chile, Germany, Egypt, Iran and Poland.
What is another name for the german cockroach?
It is also called the Crotonbug.
Is the german cockroach extinct?
No, the german cockroach is a living species and is not extinct.
Is the german cockroach an invasive species?
In some places. The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species flags the german cockroach as invasive in 6 countries, including Canary Islands, China, Japan, Latvia and Sweden. It lists it as introduced in 18 in all.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-13. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (GRIIS) · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-11-13
Pagad, S., Genovesi, P., Carnevali, L., Schigel, D. & McGeoch, M.A. (2018) Introducing the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species. Scientific Data 5: 170202. https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2017.202. Country checklists published through GBIF by the IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group. - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). German cockroach (Blattella germanica). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/german-cockroach
“German cockroach (Blattella germanica).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/german-cockroach.
@misc{german_cockroach_2026,
title = {German cockroach (Blattella germanica)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/german-cockroach},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-13}
}