Oriental cockroach
Blatta orientalis
At a glance
Key facts in one look
Group
Insect · cockroach · Blattidae
Georgian evidence
75 iNaturalist records and 5 photos; distribution confirmed in 4 regions
Adult size
About 22–27 mm
Identification
Dark body; male with short wings, female with wing pads
Where to look
Cool, damp refuges, often near buildings
Indoor concern
Allergens and food contamination
Overview
Oriental cockroach in Georgia
The Oriental cockroach, Blatta orientalis, is an insect in the order Blattodea and family Blattidae. Adults are about 22–27 mm long and dark brown to nearly black. Males have wings shorter than the abdomen; females have only short wing pads. Neither sex flies. It is also called the black cockroach; the older combination Periplaneta orientalis refers to the same species. Ilia State University's Georgian Biodiversity Database lists the species. The map shows 75 public iNaturalist observations from Georgia and five georeferenced photo records from the Reptiles.ge gallery. In the regional table, distribution status is confirmed for Tbilisi, Kakheti, Abkhazia and Adjara. Records from Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Samtskhe-Javakheti and Racha-Lechkhumi are shown as recorded-only, not as distribution. This status reflects the map's record-count criterion, not a systematic population survey. The National Library of Georgia's Terminology Dictionary lists Blatta orientalis as “შავი ტარაკანი”.
Published:
Where the Oriental cockroach is recorded in Georgia
80 field records · 2018–2026 · 7 regions
The Oriental cockroach map combines public iNaturalist observations from Georgia with georeferenced Reptiles.ge gallery photos. Regions come from the records-by-region table; only regions whose status is confirmed are treated as distribution, while others remain recorded-only.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
Records by region
Identification
How to identify Oriental cockroach
Adults are flattened, glossy and dark brown to almost black, with long antennae. Wing length differs between sexes, so colour or size alone cannot settle the identification.
Adults measure about 22–27 mm. Male wings do not reach the abdominal tip; females have only very short wing pads. Both are flightless. A clear view of the wings and upper body is more useful than darkness alone.
Nymphs have no wings and may be hard to distinguish from adult females without their size and other body details. Eggs are held in one dark case. Do not identify a blurred or damaged specimen from a single trait.
Adult German cockroaches (Blattella germanica) are generally smaller and tan-brown, with two dark lengthwise stripes behind the head. Oriental cockroaches are larger and more uniformly dark, though neither feature is conclusive alone. The common bed bug is another indoor insect: the adult is much smaller and oval, lacks functional wings, and feeds on blood.
Biology
Habitat, diet, behavior, and conservation
Habitat and range
The map records establish occurrence in Georgia but do not define local habitat or elevation limits. International references describe refuges in cool, dark, damp places: basements, around pipes and drains, near building foundations, and beneath outdoor debris or leaf litter. These are species-level habitat descriptions, not microhabitat measurements at every Georgian site.
Diet
Oriental cockroaches feed on a variety of foods and organic waste. International references also associate them with refuse, sewage and decaying matter. This is general species biology; the cited sources do not include a separate study of diet in Georgia.
Behavior
They are mainly active at night. A female encloses eggs in a dark case called an ootheca and deposits it in a sheltered place. The hatchling nymphs lack wings and molt repeatedly before adulthood. Development time depends on temperature and conditions; seasonality reported elsewhere should not be treated as a calendar for Georgia.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Oriental cockroach.
Yes. It is listed in the Georgian Biodiversity Database, and public iNaturalist observations and georeferenced photos are available from several regions. The map table shows their regional status.
The map table marks distribution as confirmed for Tbilisi, Kakheti, Abkhazia and Adjara. Records from Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Samtskhe-Javakheti and Racha-Lechkhumi are recorded-only and do not count as distribution there. This record-based regional status does not define the full range.
An Oriental cockroach is usually larger and very dark, with short wings on males and only wing pads on females. A German cockroach is smaller and has two dark stripes behind its head.
Around 22–27 mm long; this is a general species measurement.
No. Males have wings shorter than the abdomen and females have strongly reduced wings. Neither sex flies.
It is mainly night-active and uses dark, damp refuges. A reliable seasonal calendar for Georgia has not been established.
It is not venomous. Food contamination and cockroach allergens are the main concerns, especially for sensitive people.
References
Sources
References
Sources
- Cockroach Species File — Blatta orientalis-ის მიღებული სახელი და სინონიმები
- GBIF / Catalogue of Life — Blatta orientalis და Periplaneta orientalis
- EPPO Global Database — Blatta orientalis-ის სხვადასხვა ენის სახელები
- ილიას სახელმწიფო უნივერსიტეტი — საქართველოს ბიომრავალფეროვნების მონაცემთა ბაზა, Blatta orientalis
- საქართველოს ეროვნული ბიბლიოთეკა — სავეტერინარო პარაზიტოლოგიის ტერმინთა ლექსიკონი
- iNaturalist — Blatta orientalis, თბილისი, 30 ივნისი 2021
- iNaturalist — Blatta orientalis, ბათუმი, 16 ივნისი 2022
- iNaturalist — Blatta orientalis, ხორნაბუჯი, 3 აპრილი 2024
- iNaturalist — Blatta orientalis, ლენტეხი, 6 ივლისი 2025
- University of Florida IFAS — Oriental Cockroach, ამოცნობა და ბიოლოგია
- University of California IPM — Cockroaches, შედარება და საცხოვრებელი გარემო
- US EPA — ტარაკნების ალერგენები და ასთმის რისკი
- WHO — Cockroaches, their biology, distribution and control
- Wikimedia Commons — Blatta orientalis-ის მამრისა და მდედრის ფოტო, CDC
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
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