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Abstract
The field cockroach, Blattella vaga Hebard (Blattodea: Ectobiidae), is native to central Asia including Afghanistan, India, Iran, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. It was described first in 1935; however, from specimens collected in Arizona and California. Since then, the distribution of B. vaga has slowly increased along the southern United States and Mexican border, apparently following major interstate highways. We report the first record of B. vaga from Mobile, Alabama, and suggest that this species will spread to Florida and possibly northward into Georgia and South Carolina. The identification was confirmed using morphological, chemical, and molecular methods. We suggest that when possible, multiple independent methods should be used to confirm species identifications.
Key Words: Distribution; cuticular hydrocarbon profile; mitochondrial gene sequence
Resumen
La cucaracha de campo, Blattella vaga Hebard (Blattodea: Ectobiidae), proviene de Asia central, incluyendo Afganistán, India, Irán, Pakistán y Sri Lanka. Sin embargo, fue descrita por primera vez en 1935 a partir de especímenes recolectados en Arizona y California. Desde entonces, la distribución de B. vaga ha extendido lentamente a lo largo del sur de los Estados Unidos y México, aparentemente siguiendo las principales carreteras interestatales. Reportamos el primer registro de B. vaga en la ciudad de Mobile, Alabama y sugerimos que esta especie se extenderá a la Florida y posiblemente hacia el norte a Georgia y Carolina del Sur. La identificación se confirmó utilizando métodos morfológicos, químicos y moleculares. Sugerimos que, cuando sea posible, se utilicen múltiples métodos independientes para confirmar las identificaciones de especies.
Palabras Clave: Distribución; perfil de hidrocarburo cuticular; secuencia del gen mitocondrial
The field cockroach, Blattella vaga Hebard (Blattodea: Ectobiidae), was described in 1935 by Morgan Hebard from specimens collected in Arizona and California (Hebard 1935). This species resembles the other established Blattella spp. in North America: the Asian cockroach, B. asahinai Mizukubo, and the German cockroach, B. germanica (L.) (Atkinson et al. 1991; Appel 1995). Adults of these species are similar in length, with a pair of longitudinal stripes on their pronotum. Both B. asahinai and B. vaga live outdoors, fly to lights, and can become peridomestic pests (Helfer 1987; Atkinson et al. 1991). In contrast, B. germanica is almost exclusively (but see Appel & Tucker 1986) a domiciliary pest in apartments, homes, and food preparation...