About 25 species have achieved worldwide distribution, a result of their propensity to live with people. These common pests include the American, German, Oriental, brown-banded, and Madeira cockroaches. An Asian species began to cause concern in the United States when it appeared in large numbers in Florida in the late 1980s. Unlike the related German cockroach, this Asian species and the American cockroach are attracted to light. They may be winged or wingless, but even winged species do not always fly.
Cockroaches are nonspecialized insects, primitive in the sense that the young resemble the adults.
An oily cuticle protects them from dehydration. Life Cycle Courtship patterns vary with species. When the American cockroach is ready to mate, the female produces a chemical odor, or pheromone, that attracts males. Other species have more elaborate patterns, including hissing noises, bobbing and waving of the abdomen, or nibbling. The males of one African species form dominance hierarchies, and the females preferentially mate with the dominant male.