Adults measure 3/4-inch in length. The Pronotum (head area) is dark brown to black, while the wings are olive green.This species lives primarily outdoors and is considered a nuisance pest, as it does not breed inside homes. It can appear in northern states, usually in shopping malls and zoos, where it is found in atriums and potted plants carried from nurseries in Florida and other southern states. In the South, the Surinam cockroach can build large populations around structures in landscape beds where thick mulch layers, heavy ground cover and landscape timbers are present. This species does not fly.