Pycnoscelus surinamensis
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The Surinam cockroach or greenhouse cockroach (Pycnoscelus surinamensis) is a species of burrowing cockroach. It is a common plant pest endemic to the Indomalayan realm that has spread to tropical and into subtropical regions around the world, and in isolated populations to temperate climates where protective habitat such as greenhouses provide shelter for individuals inadvertently shipped in the soil of plants. Its populations are almost exclusively female, and it reproduces through parthenogenesis, having evolved several clonal strains from its sexual progenitor P. indicus.
Adults are around 18–25 mm (0.71–0.98 in) in length, and have dark brown to black bodies with shiny paler brown wings. The front edge of the pronotum (head shield) has a pale white band. While males are rarely produced, male adults have longer wings than females, completely covering the abdomen, although both sexes are poor flyers.
Nymphs are around 4.5 mm (0.18 in) long at birth, translucent white with orange-brown mandibles and spines, and darker eye spots than the rest of the head. The exoskeleton gradually hardens on exposure to air, becoming a glossy brown in 5 to 6 hours, while its underside... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 5 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Tijuca National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Surinam Cockroach sighting in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 173rd most-seen of the 262 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Surinam Cockroach in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, against under 5% in April–June, August and November, the lowest months. That is one of Big Cypress National Preserve's wettest months, with about 240 mm of rain against 40 mm in March.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Surinam Cockroach sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Surinam Cockroach sightings, Big Cypress National Preserve ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Surinam Cockroach is recorded against all the insects logged in Big Cypress National Preserve (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
