See article text Ectobius is a genus of non-cosmopolitan cockroaches once thought native to the Old World and described by James Francis Stephens in 1835,[1] belonging to the family Ectobiidae, subfamily Ectobiinae.

[2] The discovery[3] of 4 ectobius cockroaches in Colorado dating to 49 million years ago suggests the genus actually originated in North America.

[4][5] The adult 'cockroaches' reach 6–12 millimetres (0.24–0.47 in) of length, the basic coloration of their body is mostly brown or yellowish, with a clearer margin.

Species of this genus are mainly present in most of Europe, Africa, in eastern Palearctic realm and the Near East.

The "lesser cockroach" (i.e. as found in Britain), previously placed here, is now in the genus Capraiellus.