Australian Biological Resources Study

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Species Macropanesthia rhinoceros Saussure, 1895

Giant Burrowing Cockroach

 

Distribution

States

Queensland


IBRA and IMCRA regions (map not available)

IBRA

Qld: Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Desert Uplands (DEU), Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), NSW North Coast (NNC), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Wet Tropics (WT)

Ecological Descriptors

Burrower, litter, soil dweller.

Extra Ecological Information

Lives in spiral-shaped burrows in soil types ranging from white sand to red loam, feeds on Eucalyptus spp. [Myrtaceae] leaf litter collected from ground surface, females exhibit lengthy parental care of young in burrow.

 

General References

Day, M.F. 1950. The histology of a very large insect, Macropanesthia rhinoceros Sauss. (Blattidae). Australian Journal of Scientific Research B 3: 61-75 [61-75] (Tepper's female type of Geoscapheus giganteus is actually a male Macropanesthia rhinoceros and Roth, L.M. 1977. A taxonomic revision of the Panesthiinae of the world. I. The Panesthiinae of Australia (Dictyoptera: Blattaria: Blaberidae). Australian Journal of Zoology Supplementary Series 48: 1–112 [43] incorrectly listed it in synonymy with Macropanesthia rhinoceros Saussure, 1895)

Matsumoto, T. 1989. Subsocial life of the giant burrowing cockroach in Australia. Insectarium 26: 136-144

Matsumoto, T. 1990. Subsociality of the Au[s]tralian giant burrowing cockroach, Macropanesthia rhinoceros (Blattodea: Blaberidae). pp. 303-304 in Veeresh, G.K., Mallik, B. & Viraktmath, C.A. (eds). Social Insects and the Environment. Proceedings of the 11th International Congress of IUSSI, 1990 (International Union for the Study of Social Insects). Leiden : E.J. Brill.

Matsumoto, T. 1992. Familial association, nymphal development and population density in the Australian giant burrowing cockroach, Macropanesthia rhinoceros (Blattaria: Blaberidae). Zoological Science (Tokyo) 9: 835-842

Rugg, D. & Rose, H.A. 1984. Reproductive biology of some Australian cockroaches (Blattodea: Blaberidae). Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 23: 113-117

Rugg, D. & Rose, H.A. 1991. Biology of Macropanesthia rhinoceros Saussure (Dictyoptera: Blaberidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 84: 575-582

 

History of changes

Note that this list may be incomplete for dates prior to September 2013.
Published As part of group Action Date Action Type Compiler(s)
18-Aug-2021 27-Jun-2012 MODIFIED
03-Jan-2012 03-Jan-2012 MOVED
04-Jan-2012 04-Mar-2011 MODIFIED
12-Feb-2010 (import)