DNA-based phylogeny of Parcoblatta cockroaches indicates the presence of cryptic diversity

Parcoblatta wood cockroaches consist of 12 species which occur from southern Canada to northern Mexico. The genus has received little taxonomic attention since its description in 1917. As such, there have been no studies focused on Parcoblatta which have utilized modern systematic methodologies. The intent of this research was to determine whether the 12 established species of Parcoblatta represent distinct monophyletic lineages and whether there is unrecognized cryptic diversity within the genus. Approximately 700 base pairs of the COI mitochondrial gene were sequenced and used to construct a phylogeny based on maximum parsimony. The results of this phylogeny suggest that many of the established species of Parcoblatta are polyphyletic, indicating a need for significant revision of the genus.