On the species status of Blattella germanica and Blattella asahinai (Blattodea, Blattellidae), and other morphologically similar species

By

Cai, Jin-Zhuo
Yao, Wenwen
Wang, Zongqing
Che, Yanli

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025-8-27

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1250

Pages

155--188

Subjects

ABGD , Blattella germanica asahinai , Blattodea , Jacobsonina , species delimitation , Subspecies

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1250.145981

 

Abstract

Blattella germanica (Linnaeus, 1767), a member of the Blattellidae family within the order Blattodea, is a significant global sanitary pest. Several species within the genus Blattella Caudell, 1903 and its closely related genera (Episymploce Bey-Bienko, 1950; Symploce Hebard, 1916; and Jacobsonina Hebard, 1929) exhibit external morphological traits similar to those of B. germanica. By integrating morphological identification and molecular analyses, one new species was identified: Jacobsonina uncata Cai, Yao & Che, sp. nov. Additionally, Blattella asahinai Mizukubo, 1981 was downgraded to a subspecies of B. germanica. The application of molecular data, specifically cytochrome oxidase c subunit I (COI), has proven to be a straightforward and effective method for distinguishing B. germanica from its morphologically similar relatives.