| Panesthia lata | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Female Lord Howe Island cockroach (Panesthia lata) from Blackburn Island | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Blattodea |
| Family: | Blaberidae |
| Genus: | Panesthia |
| Species: | P. lata |
| Binomial name | |
| Panesthia lata Walker, 1868 | |
Panesthia lata, the Lord Howe Island wood-feeding cockroach or Lord Howe Island cockroach, is a large, wingless cockroach species endemic to the Lord Howe Island Group in the Tasman Sea. [1] [2]
Panesthia lata is reasonably large, growing between 22–40 millimetres (0.87–1.57 in). [3] [4] [5] It is metallic in colour, with general black to reddish colouration. [3] [4] It can be distinguished from other related species by its abdominal morphology and the shape of its cerci.
The species feeds on rotting wood and leaf litter, and has micro-organisms in its digestive system to help break down cellulose. [3] [5] It stays in the ground during the day and feeds at night. [5]
While once widespread across the archipelago, it was removed from Lord Howe Island proper by rats introduced in 1918, and none had been found for over 80 years. [1] [3] [4] Today, the largest known populations occur on nearby islets, including Blackburn Island, Roach Island and Ball's Pyramid. [1] [5] The species is classified as "Endangered" under the New South Wales Threatened Species Act, and a plan exists to eventually reintroduce a population to Lord Howe Island. [6]
Panesthia lata was first described in 1868 by Francis Walker in his "Catalogue of the specimens of Blattariæ in the collection of the British Museum". [4] [7] [8] It is in the subfamily Panestheiinae, which is distributed across Southeastern Asia and Oceania.
After not having been observed on Lord Howe Island for over 80 years, a biology student at the University of Sydney rediscovered them on the island in late 2022. [3] [5]