Panesthia lata, the Lord Howe Island wood-feeding cockroach or Lord Howe Island cockroach, is a large, wingless cockroach species endemic to the Lord Howe Island Group in the Tasman Sea.[1][2]
Panesthia lata | |
---|---|
Female Lord Howe Island cockroach (Panesthia lata) from Blackburn Island | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Blattodea |
Family: | Blaberidae |
Genus: | Panesthia |
Species: | P. lata
|
Binomial name | |
Panesthia lata Walker, 1868
|
Panesthia lata is reasonably large, growing between 22–40 millimetres (0.87–1.57 in).[3][4][5] It is metallic in colour, with general black to reddish colouration.[3][4] It can be distinguished from other related species by its shape and the markings on its thorax.[6]
The species feeds on rotting wood and leaf litter, and has micro-organisms in its digestive system to help break down cellulose.[3][5] It stays in the ground during the day and feeds at night.[5]
While once widespread across the archipelago, it was removed from Lord Howe Island proper by rats introduced in 1918, and none have been found for over 60 years.[1][3][4] Today, the only known populations occur on nearby islets, including Blackburn Island, Roach Island and Ball's Pyramid.[1][5] The species is classified as "Endangered" under the New South Wales Threatened Species Act, and a plan exists to eventually reintroduce a population to Lord Howe Island.[7]
Panesthia lata was first described in 1868 by Francis Walker in his "Catalogue of the specimens of Blattariæ in the collection of the British Museum".[4][8][6] It is in the subfamily Panestheiinae, which is distributed across Southeastern Asia and Oceania.
After not having been observed on Lord Howe Island for over 80 years, a biology student at the University of Sydney rediscovered them on the island in late 2022.[3][5]