Distribution expansion of the Turkestan cockroach Shelfordella lateralis in Japan

Abstract

Turkestan cockroaches were captured at a logistics warehouse and a food warehouse in Fukuoka Prefecture, and at a grocery store in Kanagawa Prefecture in 2021. Since this cockroach was first reported in Osaka in 1978, its reported numbers have been increasing in Japan. The increase in the number of places where this species has been collected may be related to its increased use, for example, its sale in pet shops as food for reptiles. This cockroach has the potential to become a nuisance insect in Japan.