The Dark Wood Cockroach is an outdoorsy insect that lives in the wild woodlands of the southeastern U.S..
Not all cockroaches are pests. The Dark Wood Cockroach is at home among the trees and does not set up camp inside houses and other buildings. Its body may be dark brown, but many adults are nearly black. Legs are long and extend out from the body. They may be orange, but many are a deep, vixen red and so this species is also called the Sexy Legs Cockroach. Brown nymphs are smaller, wingless versions of adults and have more visible armor-like plates. They still have reddish legs even at this young life stage and feast on vegetation.
This cockroach may be attracted to light at night, so be sure to keep doors closed and window screens in place to keep them from accidentally wandering inside. Check firewood before bringing stacks inside to prevent stowaways.
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Blattodea
Family:Ectobiidae
Genus:Ischnoptera
Species:deropeltiformis
Identifying Information
Scientific Name: Ischnoptera deropeltiformis
Other Name(s): Sexy Legs Cockroach
Category:
Cockroach
Size (Adult; Length): 5mm to 15mm (0.20in to 0.59in)
Colors: black; red; brown; orange
Descriptors: red legs; roach; fast; flying; black wings; segmented; pill bug
Note: An insect's reach is not limited by lines drawn on a map and therefore species may appear in areas, regions and/or states beyond those listed above as they are driven by environmental factors (such as climate change), available food supplies and mating patterns. Grayed-out selections indicate that the subject in question has not been reported in that particular territory. U.S. states and Canadian provinces / territories are clickable to their respective bug listings.
Colors: black; red; brown; orange
