Melanozosteria sp. (genus)

A native cockroach at Conder, ACT

Melanozosteria sp. (genus) at Conder, ACT - 29 Apr 2016
Melanozosteria sp. (genus) at Conder, ACT - 29 Apr 2016
Melanozosteria sp. (genus) at Conder, ACT - 29 Apr 2016
Melanozosteria sp. (genus) at Conder, ACT - 29 Apr 2016
Request use of media

Identification history

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

Identify this sighting


Please Login or Register to identify this sighting.

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?
   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.
   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
   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
   10 Nov 2016
Confirmed as Melanozosteria sp. after advice from David Rentz in reply to Roger's email mentioned above.

Please Login or Register to comment.

Location information

Sighting information

Additional information

  • 25mm to 50mm Animal size

Species information

Record quality

  • Images or audio
  • More than one media file
  • Verified by an expert moderator
  • Nearby sighting(s) of same species
  • GPS evidence of location
  • Description
  • Additional attributes
1,898,746 sightings of 21,113 species in 9,321 locations from 12,959 contributors
CCA 3.0 | privacy
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this land and acknowledge their continuing connection to their culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present.