Cockroaches are flat-bodied, fast-running insects with long antennae, long legs and a large shield-shaped pronotum that in some species almost covers the head. They have leathery forewings and thinner hindwings that are held flat on the back when not in use.

 

Excluding the ten or so introduced species that are primarily found indoors, there are only three British native cockroaches, all in the family Ectobiidae (Wood Cockroaches). They are very much restricted to southern areas of the country and are all listed as 'nationally scarce'.

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Dusky Cockroach [Ectobius lapponicus]

This species has a body length of 7-11mm with a reasonably distinctive appearance being pale brown or greyish-brown with some speckling on the forewings. The sexes are dimorphic with the male being distinguished by having a dark brown or black pronotum. They occur in a variety of scrubby habitats including heathland and, apparently, are well recorded from the New Forest area.

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Tawny Cockroach [Ectobius pallidus] 

Not dissimilar in size to Ectobius lapponicus, but broader and paler. The females have slightly longer wings that extend beyond the abdomen. This particular species may be seen in a wider range of habitats including heathland, chalk downland, coastal cliffs, as well as in areas of open woodland. Coincidently, I found an immature and an adult female in our back garden shortly after writing the first version of this page which, at the time, was a surprise as the last reported sighting in Dorset was in October 2016 according to the NBN Atlas. However, after subsequently finding a male, I decided to check the records again and discovered a number of new entries including a couple from my local area.

   

Lesser Cockroach [Capraiellus panzeri, formally Ectobius panzeri ]

As its common name suggests, this species is smaller, with a body length of only 5-8mm. Their base colour varies from dark brown to black with some marks and speckling on the pronotum, and also on the abdomen of the female. Males have long tapering forewings and fly well. Females have short truncated forewings and vestigial hindwings and are flightless. They are primarily found at coastal locations, occurring on cliffs, shingle beaches and sand dunes, but may also be seen inland on heaths and some grasslands.

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Seeing that the NBN Atlas has been updated, I checked all three species (at Jan.23) and found that the most frequently recorded was Capraiellus panzeri (still listed as Ectobius panzeri) with 1114 records, 164 of which are from Dorset, but with only 8 over the past five years. Next was Ectobius pallidus with 847 records, 148 from Dorset, with 12 over the past five years. And finally, Ectobius lapponicus with 673 records with only 37 from Dorset, none of which are recent. Many of the current records come from the official 'Orthoptera and Allied Insects' recording scheme, which I think it only goes to show that these species are indeed 'nationally scarce' and rarely observed.