Bug FAQTawny Cockroach
Ectobius pallidus · Order: Blattodea · Family: Ectobiidae
Also called: Spotted Mediterranean Cockroach, Wood Cockroach
The tawny cockroach belongs to the family Ectobiidae and is not a worldwide species. It lives in parts of southern Europe, the British Isles, and North Africa, including countries such as France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Algeria and Tunisia.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The tawny cockroach is a non-cosmopolitan species in the family Ectobiidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is also found in North Africa, specifically Algeria and Tunisia.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 21 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Maine, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in North America; introduced in Canada; introduced in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Where is the tawny cockroach found?
It lives in southern England and many countries across western and southern Europe, as well as Algeria and Tunisia in North Africa.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Ectobiidae)
German CockroachBlattella germanicaCan spread germs or disease
Pennsylvania Wood CockroachParcoblatta pennsylvanicaNuisance, not dangerous
Asian CockroachBlattella asahinaiNuisance, not dangerous
Brown-banded CockroachSupella longipalpaCan spread germs or disease
Variable CockroachPlanuncus tingitanus
Amber Wood CockroachEctobius vittiventrisHarmlessSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ectobius_pallidus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.