The ubiquitous “German” cockroach (Blattella germanica) does not actually originate from Germany, as revealed in a recent study published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA.
Dubbed “German” by Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus, researchers have established, through genetic analysis of 281 cockroaches from 17 countries and six continents, that its true origins trace back to Southeast Asia. It is believed to have evolved from an Asian species of cockroach, Blattella asahinai, approximately 2,100 years ago.
Cockroaches first appeared about 320 million years ago, and today, there are over 4,600 species living on Earth.
From Southeast Asia, the German cockroach spread worldwide in two waves. Its first “journey” occurred 1,200 years ago, traveling in bread baskets carried by soldiers returning to the Middle East. The second, that happened 390 years ago, was facilitated by the rise of European colonialism and the emergence of international trading companies like the Dutch and British East India Companies. This wave carried the cockroach eastward, and it was brought to Europe 270 years ago.
Researchers emphasize the interconnection between the cockroach’s history and human civilization. “We’re well aware of how humans affect the natural world, but we’re less aware of how organisms in nature might be adapting to us” said the evolutionary biologist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Dominic Evangelista who was not involved in the study.
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