Periplaneta americana · Cockroaches belong to the class Insecta of the phylum Arthropoda . · Two species of cockroaches commonly found in India are Periplaneta americana and Blatta orientalis. · The generic name Periplaneta was given by Burmeister (1838 AD) . · Periplanela americana is the largest and the most common species. · Cockroaches are cursorial (running) and nocturnal. · The adult P. americana measures 28‑44 mm in length and is dark brown in colour. MORPHOLOGY · Body is covered with the chitinous exoskeleton of sclerites. · Body is divided into head, thorax, and abdomen. · Head is derived by the fusion of six embryonic segments. · The sclerite of the head is fused to form a head capsule. · The part of the head between and behind the eyes is epicranium (vertex). (A) Male Cockroach (B)Female Cockroach · The front of the head capsule is m...