Bug FAQDeath’s Head Cockroach
Blaberus craniifer · Order: Blattodea · Family: Blaberidae
Also called: Death cockroach, Death's head cockroach, deathshead cockroach
The death’s head cockroach has a black, cloak-like wing pattern and a skull-shaped mark on its back. It lives on forest floors in Mexico, the West Indies and Central America, hiding in leaf litter and rotting wood. In the wild it eats any organic material, while in captivity it accepts fruit, vegetables, wet dog food and moist cereal.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
A jet-black wing pattern and a skull-shaped amber or black spot on the pronotum give it its name.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They hide in leaf litter and rotting wood on forest floors.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
In nature they feed on any organic matter, especially leaf material. In captivity they should be offered fresh fruit, vegetables, wet dog food and moist cereal.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
They give birth to live young after a gestation of about 55 to 65 days and mate one pair at a time.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It is often mistaken for the discoid cockroach, Blaberus discoidalis, because they look similar.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 4 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, South Carolina, Louisiana, California.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What does the skull marking look like?
A skull-shaped amber or black spot sits on the pronotum, giving the species its common name.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are death’s head cockroaches native to?
They originate from Mexico, the West Indies and Central America.
Source: Wikipedia
What should I feed a death’s head cockroach in captivity?
Offer fresh fruit, vegetables, wet dog food and moist cereal.
Source: Wikipedia
How do they reproduce?
Females carry developing young for 55-65 days and give birth to live offspring after mating once per pair.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Blaberidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death%27s_head_cockroach
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.