Population genetics and ecological studies of the newly invasive Asian cockroach (Blattella asahinai) in central North Carolina

We discovered a new population of an unknown Blattella sp. adjacent to railroad tracks on the North Carolina State University campus. Gas chromatography and molecular analyses revealed that the species found was Blattella asahinai, an invasive cockroach that lives outdoors and was introduced to Florida from Japan. Extensive field sampling along transects revealed that the population had a limited distribution along and near the railroad tracks. Population genetics studies are underway using newly developed microsatellite markers to determine the relatedness of the NCSU population to other populations across the Southeastern US and Japan.