An extremely hearty species of cockroach, native to Japan, has been spotted for the first time in the United States.

The Periplaneta Japonica was recently discovered in New York's High Line park, a one-mile stretch of dedicated greenspace developed from what was once part of the New York Central Railroad's West Side Line, which courses through Manhattan's lower west side.

Dominic Evangelista, a doctoral candidate in insect biology at Rutgers University and co-author of a study on the newly-found critters published in the Journal of Economic Entomology, explains the Japanese bug is very similar to the common American cockroach.

The new cockroach is also notably resistant to cold weather, is able to survive in the frigid outside and thrives on ice. That doesn't bode well for its American cousins, who may be at a distinct comparative disadvantage in the ongoing survival of the fittest.

On the other hand, says Evangelista, the American roaches could instead provide formidable competition for their Asian counterparts, limiting the expansion of the latest six-legged invaders.

Evangelista asks New Yorkers who spot the small, black roach to contact scientists tracking the species by sharing a photo with BugGuide.net or tweeting it to @Roach_Brain or @NYInvasiveSpp.

Until it's your time to come face-to-antenna with the Periplaneta Japonica, here are some cockroach fun facts, compliments of the Website funfacts.com.au:

1.       There are an estimated 4,000 - 5,000 species of cockroaches in the world, but, of all those, only 25 to 30 are considered pests.

2.       The Giant Burrowing Cockroach is slow, considered clean and kept by some as pets.

3.       Cockroaches can run up to about 1.9 mph.

4.       Glue is the cockroach's favorite food, whether it's the sticky stuff on mail envelopes or postage stamps, or the glue that holds book bindings together.

5.       Cockroaches spend an estimated 75% of their lives resting.

6.       A cockroach can live for several weeks without its head, however a cockroach head can only survive a few hours without its body.

7.       Cockroaches can hold their breaths for the better part of an hour.

8.       The world's largest cockroach is found in South America and typically grows to about six inches long, with a wingspan of about one foot.

9.       Some female cockroaches have been known to mate once and remain pregnant for the rest of their lives.

10.     It's believed the American cockroach originated in North Africa and was transported to America during the early days of the slave trade.

11.     Crushed cockroaches are sometimes used as a salve, applied directly to wounds to help relieve pain.