Shelfordella lateralis Walker, Periplaneta lateralis Walker, Pariplaneta tartara Saussure, Shelfordella tartara Saussure, Shelfordella lateralis zarudnyi Adelung, Shelfordella ahngeri Adelung Paralobotoptera sillemi Hantisch, The Turkestan cockroach Blatta lateralis , or Shelfordella lateralis in some classifications , [2] also known as the rusty red cockroach , [3] red runner cockroach [4] or simply rusty red , red runner , [4] or lat , is a primarily outdoor-dwelling cockroach native to an area from northern Africa to Central Asia.
The Turkestan cockroach is primarily an outdoor insect, not known as an aggressive indoor pest, unlike some cockroach species such as the German and brown-banded cockroaches , [8] [9] though it will inhabit areas around dwellings where shelter can be found.
The species is found in central Asia, the Caucasus Mountains, and northeastern Africa. The Turkestan cockroach was first noticed in the US in , around the former Sharpe Army Depot in California, followed shortly after by appearances at Fort Bliss in Texas and several other military bases. In the US, Turkestan cockroaches are sometimes kept to feed to pet reptiles and other insectivores , chosen partly because they can't climb smooth surfaces and don't burrow.
Although reliable information on specific dietary requirements of insectivores is scant, Turkestan cockroaches provide a high-protein, low fat nutrition composition similar to crickets, more so than mealworms or superworm larvae provide. In a study of commercially ordered specimens, small second instar nymphs 0. Vitamin A and E content was relatively low, and is generally significantly higher in free-ranging cockroaches.
Turkestan cockroaches are rich in vitamin B Blatta lateralis has been identified in Iraq as a parasitic host for larvae of the wasp Ampulex assimilis. An adult wasp stings the cockroach, pulls or leads it by its antenna to the wasp's nest, deposits its egg on the femur of the cockroach's midleg, then closes the nest with debris.
