A cockroach-like insect is intercepted from imported logs at customs in South China's Guangdong Province. Photo: Xinhua

Customs officers in South China's Guangdong Province have found a new species of cockroach-like insects while examining logs imported from French Guiana. The new species could carry unknown pathogens that might cause diseases.

The insect found in the logs by Zhongshan Port customs did not match any existing record of cockroaches, according to DNA and morphological identification. Further research confirmed it to be a previously undocumented species from the Latindia genus and the research results have been published in the Chinese Journal of Vector Biology and Control.

Cockroaches are among the vectors under close monitoring by customs. As invasive alien species, cockroaches are highly adaptable and fecund, and can threaten the ecological environment and the public health of their destination country, Xinhua News Agency reported.

China forbids importing, releasing or abandoning invasive alien species, because they could jeopardize biodiversity and eco-security, leading to huge economic loss. The 2020 Report on the State of the Ecology and Environment in China said that China has found at least 660 invasive alien species.