Lesser Cockroach

Capraiellus panzeri · Order: Blattodea · Family: Ectobiidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Lesser Cockroach
Photo: Rupert Lees, CC BY

The lesser cockroach (Capraiellus panzeri) is a European species that also occurs in north-west Africa. In the United Kingdom it is found only in the southern part of the country.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

This species may be called the lesser cockroach in southern Britain.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

It lives in Europe, extends into north-west Africa, and is localized in southern Britain.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Its native range covers Europe, north-west Africa, and southern Britain.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: introduced in United States. Source: iNaturalist

More photos

Lesser Cockroach photo 2
Photo: Andrew Thomas, CC BY-SA
Lesser Cockroach photo 3
Photo: Lars Willighagen, CC BY
Lesser Cockroach photo 4
Photo: Michel Langeveld, CC BY
Lesser Cockroach photo 5
Photo: Cameron Wilkins, CC BY

Same family (Ectobiidae)

German CockroachGerman CockroachBlattella germanicaCan spread germs or diseasePennsylvania Wood CockroachPennsylvania Wood CockroachParcoblatta pennsylvanicaNuisance, not dangerousAsian CockroachAsian CockroachBlattella asahinaiNuisance, not dangerousBrown-banded CockroachBrown-banded CockroachSupella longipalpaCan spread germs or diseaseVariable CockroachVariable CockroachPlanuncus tingitanusAmber Wood CockroachAmber Wood CockroachEctobius vittiventrisHarmless

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capraiellus_panzeri

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.