Eurycotis

Stål, 1874

Species Guides

Eurycotis floridana(Florida Woods Cockroach)
Eurycotis lixa(Hustler Cockroach)

Eurycotis is a of in the Blattidae, distributed across the Americas from the southern United States through Central America to South America. Members possess a distinctive defensive capability: both sexes harbor large abdominal glands that secrete a milky, acidic fluid when threatened, which can be released as an oozing liquid or projected as a spray up to three feet. The genus includes at least 20 in Cuba alone, with Eurycotis floridana being the most extensively studied species. Research on E. floridana has documented detailed mating involving transfer and courtship rituals.

Eurycotis lixa by (c) Tom Field, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Tom Field. Used under a CC-BY license.

Eurycotis by (c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Ken-ichi Ueda. Used under a CC-BY license.

Eurycotis floridana by (c) Sam Taylor, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Sam Taylor. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Eurycotis: //jʊˈrɪkətɪs//

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

Distribution

Americas: United States (Florida), Mexico, Central America, Caribbean (Cuba, Bahamas), South America (Brazil, Chile). The exhibits highest diversity in the Caribbean, with 20 documented in the Cuban Archipelago alone.

Behavior

When threatened, individuals secrete a milky, acidic fluid from large glands located in the rear portion of the . This defensive secretion can be released passively as an oozing liquid or actively sprayed up to three feet. In Eurycotis floridana, mating involves a courtship sequence including antennal contact between sexes, males raising their wings to expose tergal glands, females feeding on glandular secretions, and multiple brief copulatory insertions with transfer.

Human Relevance

Eurycotis floridana has been documented as a for bacteria (F clade), an endosymbiont that may provide nutritional benefits including biotin synthesis. This raises potential for future pest management strategies targeting the -Wolbachia relationship, though the is not among the most economically important urban pest cockroaches.

Similar Taxa

PeriplanetaBoth belong to Blattidae and share large body size and generalized , but Eurycotis is distinguished by its well-developed defensive abdominal glands capable of spraying acidic fluid, a trait not present in Periplaneta.
BlattaBoth are Blattidae with broad geographic distributions in the Americas, but Eurycotis possesses the distinctive defensive gland system absent in Blatta .

More Details

Defensive Chemistry

The defensive secretion from abdominal glands is described as milky and acidic; the mechanism allows both passive oozing and active projection, representing one of the more elaborate chemical defense systems among .

Wolbachia Endosymbiosis

A 2023 study screened 16 across three for . Eurycotis floridana was one of four species found to harbor Wolbachia (F clade), shared with Pseudomops septentrionalis, Gromphadorhina portentosa, and Supella longipalpa. The F-clade Wolbachia in cockroaches appears to provide nutritional benefits rather than reproductive manipulation, with infected individuals producing biotin. This contrasts with Wolbachia strains in other insects that cause or sex ratio distortion.