Melanozosteria sp. (genus)

A native cockroach at Conder, ACT

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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

Coordinates 149.101422 -35.464707
Altitude 625.0m
Maps MichaelBedingfied's Home Garden
Places Conder, ACT

Sighting information

4 - 15 Abundance
29 Apr 2016 11:03 PM Recorded on
MichaelBedingfield Recorded by
Collections
MichaelBedingfield Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr Melanozosteria sp. (genus) Cockroaches (Blattodea, several families) Insects

Additional information

25mm to 50mm Animal size

Species information

Melanozosteria sp. (genus) Scientific name
A native cockroach Common name
Not Sensitive
Local native
Non-invasive or negligible
Up to 638m Recorded at altitude
External link More 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