Megaloblatta longipennis

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Megaloblatta longipennis
Megaloblatta longipennis (Shel1908-07).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Blattodea
Family: Ectobiidae
Genus: Megaloblatta
Species:
M. longipennis
Binomial name
Megaloblatta longipennis
(Walker, 1868)
Synonyms [1] [2]

Blabera longipennis Walker, 1868
Megaloblatta peruvianaDohrn, 1887

Contents

Megaloblatta longipennis is a species of cockroach in the family Ectobiidae. It is the world's largest cockroach by length and wingspan. It is native to Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru; [3] [4] [5] although its range sometimes is reported to extend into Panama; this is based on misidentifications of the closely related and similar M. blaberoides (the only Central American species in the genus). [6]

Description

Members of M. longipennis are known for their exceptional size; the largest specimen measured 9.7 cm (3.8 in) in length, 4.5 cm (1.8 in) in width, and had a wingspan of 20 cm (8 in). [7] The related M. blaberoides, which is quite similar but differs in certain morphological features, [5] can reach about the same length and almost as much, 18.5 cm (7.3 in), in wingspan. [8]

Megaloblatta longipennis is commonly confused with its close relative M. blaberoides due to their large size and similar morphology. The following table highlights the main physical and geographic distinctions:


Comparison of Megaloblatta Species
SpeciesMax LengthMax WingspanDistribution
Megaloblatta longipennis9.7 cm (3.8 in)20 cm (8 in)Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Megaloblatta blaberoides~9.5 cm (3.7 in)18.5 cm (7.3 in)Central America (e.g., Panama)

[9]



References

  1. ↑ "Catalogue of Life - 2012 Annual Checklist :: Species details". www.catalogueoflife.org. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  2. ↑ Gray, John Edward; Walker, Francis (1868). "Blabera longipennis". Catalogue of the specimens of Blattariæ in the collection of the British Museum. pp. 8–9. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.8495.
  3. ↑ "Megaloblatta longipennis (MEGBLO)". EPPO Global Database. Secretariat of the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  4. ↑ Vidlička, L. (2013). "Cockroaches (Blattaria) of Ecuador—checklist and history of research". Zootaxa. 3599 (5): 401–445. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3599.5.1. PMID   24613997.
  5. 1 2 Salazar-E, J.A.; Maláver, J.C.R. (2012). "Relación e ilustración de algunas especies de Nyctiborinae de Colombia y Costa Rica (Insecta, Blattodea, Ectobiidae)" [Description and illustration of some species of Nyctiborinae from Colombia and Costa Rica (Insecta, Blattodea, Ectobiidae)]. Bol. Cient. Mus. Hist. Nat. Univ. Caldas (in Spanish). 16 (2). ISSN   0123-3068.
  6. ↑ Iturralde, D. (2023). "Diversidad y distribucíon de cucarachas (Insecta: Blattodea: Blattaria) en la República de Panamá" [Diversity and distribution of cockroaches (Insecta: Blattodea: Blattaria) in the Republic of Panama](PDF) (in Spanish). University of Panama.
  7. ↑ "Largest cockroach". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  8. ↑ Bell, W.J.; Roth, L.M.; Nalepa, C.A.; Wilson, E.O. (2007). "Body size". Cockroaches: Ecology, Behavior, and Natural History. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 6. ISBN   978-0-8018-8616-4.
  9. ↑ "Scientific Name of the Largest Cockroach". ScientificNamea.com. Retrieved 27 May 2025.



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