Periplaneta lateralis
Silhouette: Thomas Hegna · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Periplaneta lateralis (also Shelfordella lateralis, Blatta lateralis), commonly known as the Turkestan cockroach, red runner cockroach, or rusty red cockroach, is a primarily outdoor-dwelling cockroach native to an area stretching from northern Africa to Central Asia.
The species is found in Central Asia, the Caucasus Mountains, and northeastern Africa. It can be found throughout the area of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kashmir, Libya, Palestine, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, Russia (adventive) and the United States (adventive).
The Turkestan cockroach was first noticed in the US in 1978, around the former Sharpe Army Depot in California, followed shortly after by appearances at Fort Bliss in Texas and several other military bases. Researchers believe the species arrived on military equipment returning from Central Asia, perhaps Afghanistan. Since then the species has been rapidly replacing the common oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis) in urban areas of the Southwestern United States “as the most important peri-domestic species”, with advantages of laying more eggs and maturing... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shymkent | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | |
| 2 | Tashkent | 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | |
| 3 | Yerevan | 🇦🇲 Armenia | |
| 4 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Tel Aviv | 🇮🇱 Israel | |
| 8 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Rome | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 10 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
No species of the same family or order lives in Joshua Tree National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other insects.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Turkestan Cockroach sighting in Joshua Tree National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 121st most-seen of the 190 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–August, October and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Turkestan Cockroach in Joshua Tree National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–March, September and November, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Turkestan Cockroach sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Turkestan Cockroach sightings, Joshua Tree National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Zion National Park (United States, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Turkestan Cockroach is recorded against all the insects logged in Joshua Tree National Park (8 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.
