Systematic Position

The systematic (taxonomic) position of the cockroach places it precisely within the animal classification hierarchy, and each rank is justified by a defining feature:

• Kingdom — Animalia. Cockroaches lack a cell wall and show heterotrophic nutrition (they cannot make their own food and must consume organic matter), the two features that place any organism in Kingdom Animalia.
• Phylum — Arthropoda. The cockroach has jointed appendages, a segmented body, and a hard chitinous exoskeleton — the three hallmark features of the phylum whose name literally means "jointed foot."
• Class — Insecta. Within Arthropoda, the cockroach is placed in Class Insecta because it has two pairs of wings and three pairs of walking legs, along with the three-part body plan (head, thorax, abdomen) typical of insects.
• Genus — Periplaneta. This genus is characterised by nocturnal habits and straight (not curved) wings.
• Species — americana. The species name records that this cockroach's origin is traced to the American continent, even though it is now found worldwide. …