Pycnoscelus surinamensis
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
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 |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Surinam Cockroach sighting in Tel Aviv on a given day, based on 119 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 18th most-seen of the 264 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December to March
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Surinam Cockroach in Tel Aviv on a given day, against under 5% in August and October, the lowest months. Those are among Tel Aviv's wettest months, with about 70 mm of rain a month against almost none in August.
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.
Yes
Of the 52 cities where we can rate Surinam Cockroach sightings, Tel Aviv has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Goiânia (Brazil, about 20%) and Fortaleza (Brazil, about 20%).
Same order: Blattodea
The closest relatives of the Surinam Cockroach that you can see in Tel Aviv (order Blattodea, Cockroaches and Termites) are American Cockroach (about 20%), Egyptian Cockroach (about 20%) and German Cockroach (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Surinam Cockroach is recorded against all the insects logged in Tel Aviv (119 verified sightings), 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.
