Ectobiidae is a family of the order Blattodea (cockroaches). This family contains many of the smaller common household pest cockroaches, among others. They are sometimes called wood cockroaches. A few notable species include:
The Australian cockroach is a common species of tropical cockroach, with a length of 23–35 mm (0.91–1.38 in). It is brown overall, with the tegmina having a conspicuous lateral pale stripe or margin, and the pronotum with a sharply contrasting pale or yellow margin. It is very similar in appearance to the American cockroach and may be easily mistaken for it. It is, however, slightly smaller than the American cockroach, and has a yellow margin on the thorax and yellow streaks at its sides near the wing base.
Parcoblatta fulvescens, the fulvous wood cockroach, is a species of cockroach endemic to the United States and possibly Canada that measures around 13 mm (0.5 in) long.
The giant burrowing cockroach is also known as the rhinoceros cockroach, and Queensland giant cockroach. These cockroaches are native to Australia and mostly found in tropical and subtropical parts of Queensland. They are the world's heaviest species of cockroach and can weigh up to 30-35 grams and measure up to 7.5-8 cm (3.1 in) in length. It is a member of the family Blaberidae, which contains hundreds of species. It is part of the blaberid subfamily Geoscapheinae. It is prominent in the wild and can also be sold and kept as a pet.
The death's head cockroach is a species of cockroach belonging to the family Blaberidae. It is often confused with the discoid cockroach, Blaberus discoidalis, due to its similar appearance. It is distinguished by jet black cloak-like marking on its wings and a skull-shaped, amber/black marking on its pronotum. The name death's head comes from the markings on the top of the pronotum: "cranii", which is Latin for "of the head", and "fer", meaning "carry" or "carrier". Due to their unique appearance and certain characteristics, they make an easy to care for pet or display insect for entomologists and hobbyists.
Arenivaga is a genus of sand cockroaches, of the subfamily Corydiinae, in the family Corydiidae. These cockroaches live in sandy soils and dunes in the southwestern United States, Florida and Mexico. Arenivaga comes from the Latin arena meaning sand and vagus meaning wandering.
The cape rain frog or giant rain frog is a species of frog in the family Brevicipitidae. Adults grow up to 45 mm in length. It was the first African frog species to be scientifically described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, under the name Rana gibbosa. It is the most common and largest of rain frogs. The name "rain frog" that is applied to the genus refers to a belief that these frogs bring rain.
Anacridium aegyptium, the Egyptian grasshopper or Egyptian locust, is a species of insect belonging to the subfamily Cyrtacanthacridinae.
Omocestus rufipes, the woodland grasshopper, is a species of short-horned grasshopper belonging to subfamily Gomphocerinae. The Latin species name rufipes means red-footed, from rufus (red) + pes (foot), with reference to the color of the legs.
Cariblatta lutea is a small species of cockroach native to the United States and other countries, measuring usually around 7 millimeters long as an adult and under 2 millimeters from head tip to abdomen tip at the 1st instar or hatchling. It consists of two subspecies, the small yellow cockroach, and the least yellow cockroach.
Parcoblatta bolliana, Boll's wood cockroach or Boll's wood roach, is a small species of wood cockroach native to the United States, measuring around 11 mm (0.43 in) long.
Parcoblatta uhleriana, the Uhler's wood cockroach, is a species of Parcoblatta native to the United States and Canada. It is a forest species also found in disturbed and urban environments. The male of the species flies freely, while the female does not fly.
Parcoblatta zebra, the banded wood cockroach, is a species of Parcoblatta native to the United States. It has dark transverse bands across the back of its abdomen.
Acrida cinerea, sometimes called the Oriental longheaded grasshopper/locust or the Chinese grasshopper though this name is also applied to Oxya chinensis, is a member of the Acrididae family. Like other members of the genus Acrida, Acrida cinerea lacks stridulatory organs on its legs and so they do not make noise while moving.
The Pneumoridae are a family of nocturnal short-horned grasshoppers in the order Orthoptera, commonly known as the bladder grasshoppers and the sole representative of the superfamily Pneumoroidea. Their centre of diversity is in southern Africa, but one species occurs as far north as South Sudan. Most adult males acquire an inflated abdomen, a specialization for amplified sound production, which is likely its primary function. Most genera display striking sexual dimorphism, and several species exhibit a dual male phenotype.
Langona sabulosa is a species of jumping spider in the genus Langona that lives in Namibia. It was first described in 2011 by Wanda Wesołowska. The spider is large with a cephalothorax between 2.2 and 4 mm long and a abdomen between 2.2 and 4.5 mm. The female is noticeably larger than the male and has a very different shape to its much larger abdomen, being more heart-shaped than oval. It has the toothless chelicerae typical of the genus. The abdomen has a large leaf-like pattern, which differentiates it from other species in the genus, as can the yellowish-orange colour of the pedipalps on the male. The female has a unique epigyne that led Wesołowska to question where it should be allocated in the subtribe Aelurillina.
Thoracistus is a genus of decticine or shield-backed katydids in the family Tettigoniidae. The mostly carnivorous genus is endemic to South Africa.
Melasis fermini is a rare species of soldier beetles native to a small area of Spain. It has only been found in three locations in Guadalajara, Caceres, and Ciudad Real, and its estimated range is less than twelve square kilometers. The species was named in honor of the late Fermín Martín Piera, a Spanish biologist and taxonomist who specialized in the study of dung beetles.
Sigaus minutus is a species of short-horned grasshopper in the family Acrididae. It is one of the smallest and rarest species of grasshopper in New Zealand, found only in the Mackenzie district of South Island. There are nine species within the genus Sigaus described by Bigelow (1967), all endemic to New Zealand. The population status of Sigaus minutus is declining according to threat assessments made by orthopteran experts in 2010.
Eucorydia donanensis is a species of iridescent cockroach in the family Corydiidae. It was discovered on Yonaguni Island of Japan's Ryukyu Archipelago, and was believed to be restricted to that island until its discovery on nearby Ishigakijima Island in June 2022.
