Panchlora nivea
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Panchlora nivea, the Cuban cockroach or green banana cockroach, is a small species of cockroach in the subfamily Panchlorinae. It is found in the subtropical or tropical climates of Cuba, the Caribbean and southern US: along the Gulf Coast from Florida to Texas and has been observed as far north as Moncks Corner, South Carolina. Panchlora nivea got into the US through Caribbean fruit shipments.
The females can grow up to 24 mm and the smaller males are 12 to 15 mm long. They are winged and strong fliers, pale green to yellowish green in colour, with a yellow line running up the sides. The nymphs are brown or black and are burrowers.
The ootheca (egg case) is 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long, is curved, and has indentations that show where the eggs are located. A study found that they contained 28 to 60 eggs (average 46). The ootheca is carried internally by the female until the eggs hatch. At 24 °C (75 °F) the eggs hatch in about 48 days, after which male nymphs mature in about 144 days, and female nymphs mature in about 181 days.
Panchlora nivea is usually an outdoor species and is rarely found indoors, so is not considered a pest. The adults can often... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Banana Cockroach sighting in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 412th most-seen of the 506 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May–June, August and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Banana Cockroach in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in July, September–October and December–April, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Banana Cockroach sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Banana Cockroach sightings, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Braulio Carrillo National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%), Soberanía National Park (Panama, about 10%) and Everglades National Park (United States, under 5%).
Same order: Blattodea
The closest relatives of the Banana Cockroach that you can see in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (order Blattodea, Cockroaches and Termites) are Megaloblatta blaberoides (about 10%) and Holocompsa azteca (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Banana Cockroach is recorded against all the insects logged in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (5 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.
