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Macropanesthia rhinoceros
specimen at the Audubon Insectarium, New Orleans. Photo:Mark Pellegrini (Raul654) · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
Blaberidae

Macropanesthia rhinoceros

· Saussure, 1895 · Blaberidae
Temperature
21–25 °C
Adult size
75–80 mm, approx. 35 g
Humidity
substrate moist but not wet; approx. 60–70%; do not let it go above 26 °C
Origin
Australia (mainly Queensland)
Substrate
a deep layer (10–15 cm or more) of coco peat mixed with soil and sand
Diet
mainly dry, decaying leaves (eucalyptus, oak)
Reproduction
ovoviviparous, usually 1 litter a year, up to about 30 nymphs; the parents care for the young in the burrow for a long time
Development
very slow – approx. 3–5 years; adults live 5–10 years; the heaviest cockroach in the world
difficulty: moderate climbs glass: no flies: no
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More about the species

Sexes, stages and pitfalls

How to sex them

photo coming soon
♂ male
photo coming soon
♀ female

Adults

Both sexes are wingless. The male has a clearly enlarged, upturned “scoop” at the front of the pronotum; the female’s is smaller and flatter. Underneath: the female has one large terminal plate, the male a tiny extra segment.

Nymphs

Only in the oldest nymphs, by the plates under the abdomen – the differences are subtle. The scoop develops only in adults.

Life stages

About 12–13 moults (sources differ), 3–5 years to adulthood. Nymphs are wingless miniatures of the adults without the scoop. In the wild the young stay with the mother in the burrow for several months.

Common problems

  • Fatal moulting deformities when loose substrate collapses – give nymphs shallow, firm substrate.
  • Unaged or aromatic eucalyptus leaves can be toxic – use only dry, aged leaves.
  • Forcing growth with heat kills nymphs or gives stunted adults; too cold – nymphs stall.
  • Breeds very slowly – usually one litter a year.

Taxonomy

Order
Blattodea
Family
Blaberidae
Subfamily
Geoscapheinae
Trade names
giant burrowing cockroach, rhinoceros cockroach
From my breeding room

Photos and videos

Shots of Macropanesthia rhinoceros from my breeding room. Click a photo to enlarge it.

Photos and videos of this species will appear here.

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