Bug FAQPacific Beetle Cockroach
Diploptera punctata · Order: Blattodea · Family: Blaberidae
Also called: Cypress cockroach
The Pacific beetle cockroach (Diploptera punctata) belongs to the family Blaberidae and subfamily Diplopterinae. Adults can spray quinone chemicals from a modified tracheal gland and spiracle as a defense.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Diploptera punctata is the scientific name for the Pacific beetle cockroach.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults have a chemical spray system that ejects quinones to deter predators.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Females produce a nutrient-rich crystalline milk to feed their live young. The milk contains water-soluble proteins that supply essential amino acids such as lysine, leucine and valine.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species goes through four wingless nymph stages before reaching adulthood. Adult males are smaller than females and have wings.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range includes Australia, Myanmar, China, Fiji, Hawaii, and India.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 2 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Hawaii, California.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do Pacific beetle cockroach mothers feed their young?
They secrete a crystalline milk that is rich in water-soluble proteins and essential amino acids for the developing embryos.
Source: Wikipedia
How many nymph stages does Diploptera punctata have?
It passes through four wingless nymph stages before becoming an adult.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find Pacific beetle cockroaches?
They are known from Australia, Myanmar, China, Fiji, Hawaii, and India.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Blaberidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diploptera_punctata
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.