Summary
Megaloblatta longipennis is a species of cockroach in the family Ectobiidae. It is one of the world's largest cockroaches by length and wingspan. It is native to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru;[3][4][5] although its range sometimes is reported to extend into Panama; this is based on misidentifications of the closely related and similar M. blaberoides (the only Central American species in the genus).[6]
| Megaloblatta longipennis | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Blattodea |
| Family: | Ectobiidae |
| Genus: | Megaloblatta |
| Species: | M. longipennis
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| Binomial name | |
| Megaloblatta longipennis (Walker, 1868)
| |
| Synonyms[1][2] | |
|
Blabera longipennis Walker, 1868 | |
Description edit
Members of M. longipennis are known for their exceptional size; the largest specimen measured 9.7 cm (3.8 in) in length, 4.5 cm (1.8 in) in width, and had a wingspan of 20 cm (8 in).[7] The related M. blaberoides, which is quite similar but differs in certain morphological features,[5] can reach about the same length and almost as much, 18.5 cm (7.3 in), in wingspan.[8]
References edit
- ^ "Catalogue of Life - 2012 Annual Checklist :: Species details". www.catalogueoflife.org. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
- ^ Gray, John Edward; Walker, Francis (1868). "Blabera longipennis". Catalogue of the specimens of Blattariæ in the collection of the British Museum. pp. 8–9. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.8495.
- ^ "Megaloblatta longipennis (MEGBLO)". EPPO Global Database. Secretariat of the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ^ Vidlička, L. (2013). "Cockroaches (Blattaria) of Ecuador—checklist and history of research". Zootaxa. 3599 (5): 401–445. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3599.5.1. PMID 24613997.
- ^ a b Salazar-E, J.A.; Maláver, J.C.R. (2012). "Relación e ilustración de algunas especies de Nyctiborinae de Colombia y Costa Rica (Insecta, Blattodea, Ectobiidae)" [Description and illustration of some species of Nyctiborinae from Colombia and Costa Rica (Insecta, Blattodea, Ectobiidae)]. Bol. Cient. Mus. Hist. Nat. Univ. Caldas (in Spanish). 16 (2). ISSN 0123-3068.
- ^ Iturralde, D. (2023). "Diversidad y distribucíon de cucarachas (Insecta: Blattodea: Blattaria) en la República de Panamá" [Diversity and distribution of cockroaches (Insecta: Blattodea: Blattaria) in the Republic of Panama] (PDF) (in Spanish). University of Panama.
- ^ "Largest cockroach". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
- ^ Bell, W.J.; Roth, L.M.; Nalepa, C.A.; Wilson, E.O. (2007). "Body size". Cockroaches: Ecology, Behavior, and Natural History. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-8018-8616-4.