In the dense blackness of a Philippine rainforest, a narrow beam of light from Cristian Lucanas’s headlamp cuts through the darkness. The 31-year-old entomologist from the University of the Philippines Los Baños carefully excavates the underbrush before gently retrieving a cockroach with his bare hands. Known among colleagues as the ‘Ipis Lord’ (Cockroach Lord), Lucanas stands as the nation’s sole specialist in these frequently maligned insects, having personally identified 15 previously unknown species.
Despite widespread public perception of cockroaches as disease-ridden pests, Lucanas advocates for greater scientific appreciation of their crucial ecological functions. ‘I also hated cockroaches when I was a child,’ he admitted during an interview in Los Baños, south of Manila. ‘Fear of cockroaches is innate,’ he conceded, often telling strangers he simply ‘works in a museum’ to avoid uncomfortable reactions.
The biodiversity-rich Philippines hosts approximately 130 documented cockroach species, with three-quarters existing nowhere else on Earth. Lucanas estimates another 200 local varieties await scientific documentation. ‘For the longest time, no one was studying them,’ he noted, expressing disappointment given the archipelago’s significant cockroach population diversity.
As detritivores, cockroaches perform essential ecosystem services by consuming and breaking down dead organic matter—including their own kind—and returning nutrients to the soil. While certain species do carry disease-spreading microbes, Lucanas emphasizes that their disappearance would disrupt decomposition processes critical for sustaining healthy ecosystems. Birds and spiders would lose a primary food source, and plants would absorb less carbon dioxide, potentially exacerbating global warming.
Lucanas’s unusual passion ignited twelve years ago during a biology field trip to a bat cave on a remote island, where he observed cockroaches thriving on guano. When his professor couldn’t identify the species, the young scientist discovered his professional calling. An avid J.R.R. Tolkien enthusiast, Lucanas frequently names his discoveries after creatures from ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ including ‘Valar,’ ‘Hobbitoblatta,’ and ‘Nazgul.’
His expertise occasionally attracts unconventional requests—the country’s largest insecticide manufacturer once invited him to lecture on cockroach identification, while a major restaurant chain sought advice against invasive German cockroaches raiding their commissary. ‘Control is not really my forte,’ Lucanas acknowledged.
The entomologist debunks popular myths about cockroach resilience, noting their radiation resistance parallels other insects and contradicts post-apocalyptic survival narratives. He identifies human activity, particularly habitat encroachment, as the most immediate threat. Several cave-dwelling species first documented during the Spanish colonial period in the 1890s haven’t been observed since their habitats became tourist destinations.
Lucanas laments that scientific funding in the Philippines predominantly supports research with direct human applications, potentially limiting his work to cataloging and explaining native cockroach species. Nevertheless, he remains committed to his unusual vocation: ‘I think I’ll stick with what I’m doing. It’s how I’ve built my reputation. And I really do enjoy working with cockroaches.’
