Madagascar hissing cockroach

Madagascar Hissing Cockroach

Gromphadorhina portentosa

CLASS Insecta | ORDER Blattodea | FAMILY Blaberidae

RANGE Madagascar

HABITAT Forages on the floor of tropical forests, near river banks and around logs or trees

DIET Plant and animal matter

Weight
Up to 0.8 oz

Length
2 - 3 in

Young
Up to 60 nymphs

IUCN Status
Not Listed
Madagascar hissing cockroach

Madagascar hissing cockroaches have a single pair of antennae and do not have wings. They hiss by exhaling air through breathing holes, a unique trait among insects.

Males have large horns. Male rivals will ram one another with their horns and hiss as they fight.

Madagascar hissing cockroach

99 percent of all cockroach species are not household pests. Without cockroaches, dead and decaying vegetation would smother tropical forests. They aid in recycling a large majority of the Earth's dead or decaying plant and animal matter.