Insects
Cockroaches (Blattodea, several families)
Sighting 3360666

Melanozosteria sp. (genus)

A native cockroach at Conder, ACT

Melanozosteria sp. (genus) at Conder, ACT - 29 Apr 2016 11:03 PM
Melanozosteria sp. (genus) at Conder, ACT - 29 Apr 2016 11:03 PM
Melanozosteria sp. (genus) at Conder, ACT - 29 Apr 2016 11:03 PM
Melanozosteria sp. (genus) at Conder, ACT - 29 Apr 2016 11:03 PM
Melanozosteria sp. (genus) at Conder, ACT - 29 Apr 2016 11:03 PM
Melanozosteria sp. (genus) at Conder, ACT - 29 Apr 2016 11:03 PM
Melanozosteria sp. (genus) at Conder, ACT - 29 Apr 2016 11:03 PM
Melanozosteria sp. (genus) at Conder, ACT - 29 Apr 2016 11:03 PM
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Identification history

Melanozosteria sp. (genus) 10 Nov 2016 MichaelBedingfield
Platyzosteria melanaria 11 Oct 2016 MichaelBedingfield
Unverified 3 Oct 2016 MichaelBedingfield

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User's notes

Conder, ACT; a large mostly black cockroach; to the eye it appeared to be mainly black, but the use of the flashlight made the red colour come out.

6 comments

RogerF wrote:
   4 Oct 2016
What is the length of the cockroach and where was it found?
MichaelBedingfield wrote:
   5 Oct 2016
It was in my garden, 25 to 30mm long, and found after dark; just a standard large black cockroach. To the eye it appeared to be almost all black, but the use of the flashlight made the red colour come out.
MichaelBedingfield wrote:
   6 Oct 2016
Looking at the Internet, I would say the most similar species was "Platyzosteria sp", eg
http://esperancewildlife.blogspot.com.au/2010/07/black-cockroach-platyzosteria-sp.html
RogerF wrote:
   7 Oct 2016
I have forwarded the picture to David Rentz as I could not ID it from his book. It appears too large for most Melanozosteria and Platyzosteria
MichaelBedingfield wrote:
   9 Oct 2016
I found another specimen today, body size 33mm. You can see the reddish colour in the 2nd photo. See sighting:
http://canberranaturemap.org/Community/Sightings/Details/3361078
MichaelBedingfield wrote:
   10 Nov 2016
Confirmed as Melanozosteria sp. after advice from David Rentz in reply to Roger's email mentioned above.

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Location information

Sighting information

Additional information

  • 25mm to 50mm Animal size

Species information

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  • Verified by an expert moderator
  • Nearby sighting(s) of same species
  • GPS evidence of location
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