Kingdom Animalia Order Blattodea Subfamily Blattinae Phylum Arthropoda | Class Insecta Family Blattidae Scientific name Neostylopyga Rank Genus | |
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Similar Neostylopyga rhombifolia, Eurycotis, Panchlora, Surinam cockroach, Australian cockroach | ||
Harlequin cockroach neostylopyga rhombifolia prague zoo
Neostylopyga is a genus of cockroaches. Some of the species are strikingly coloured and patterned and are popular in cultures under the common name "harlequin roaches" or "harlequin cockroaches".
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Taxonomy and systematics
The type species of the genus is Neostylopyga rhombifolia (Stoll, 1813), but at first it was assigned to the genus Blatta and subsequently to other genera, including Periplaneta, to which it is closely related. The current genus was assigned by Shelford in 1911.
Accepted species
The following are the species currently recognised, but listed in alphabetic sequence rather than sequence of discovery and description.
Pest status
Neostylopyga is related to invasive pest species such as Periplaneta americana, and like the major pest species, some members of the genus, such as Neostylopyga rhombifolia, the "harlequin cockroach", have spread to so many regions as to be regarded with suspicion at least. in some countries, it already seen as a largely outdoor domestic pest. Certainly none of the species is widely seen as one of the major pest roaches yet.