Cockroach Preserved In 44 Million-Year-Old Amber Suggests Species Originated In New World (SLIDESHOW)

The Ectobius cockroach is the most common in regions from northern Europe to southern Africa; and it may have a different history than was previously believed.

Researchers found specimens of the cockroach preserved in amber; researchers always thought the species originate in the Old World, but this new research disputes that theory. Ectobius may have actually sprung up in the New World, an Entomological Society of America news release reported.   

The recently-discovered specimen was found in the 49 million-year-old Green River Formation in Colorado. This means the river formation is about five million years older than the amber-preserved cockroach specimen.

Shortly after the specimen died the Ectobius species became extinct in North America, but researchers believe it continued to thrive in regions such as Western Europe.

"About 65 years ago, several entomologists in the northeastern United States noted that four species of Ectobius were present in North America," corresponding author Dr. Conrad Labandeira said. "It was always assumed that these four newcomers were the first Ectobius species to have ever lived in North America. But the discovery in Colorado proves that their relatives were here nearly 50 million years ago."

Ectobius' history mirrors the horse's plight; Horses are believed to have originated in the New World, but later went extinct in the region.The animals were reintroduced by Spanish explorers about 11,000 years after their initial extinction during the Pleistocene ecological crisis.

This specific species of cockroach, the Ectobius kohls was named after David Kohls, a Colorado fossil, plant, and insect collector.

Species can spread faster now thanks to human interference. Insects often hitch a ride with traveling humans.

Recently the Periplaneta japonica was discovered on New York City's High Line; this species has never been seen before in the U.S, although it is common in Asia.

The species is more resistant to cold climates than cockroaches normally found in N.Y.