Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
Gromphadorhina portentosa
CLASS Insecta | ORDER Blattodea | FAMILY BlaberidaeRANGE Madagascar
HABITAT Forages on the floor of tropical forests, near river banks and around logs or trees
DIET Plant and animal matter
RANGE Madagascar
HABITAT Forages on the floor of tropical forests, near river banks and around logs or trees
DIET Plant and animal matter
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.
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.
