Usually, if you find a bright green cockroach it means it has just molted and will shortly, as the air dries its carapace, turn the expected brown. The green banana cockroach (Panchlora nivea), however, is always green as an adult, freshly molted or otherwise. (Nymphs/juveniles are brown.) The “nivea” in its name means “snowy” —…
Category: Cockroaches and Termites (Blattodea)
Australian Cockroach
This juvenile male Australian cockroach (Periplaneta australasiae) is probably one molt shy of being a handsome adult like this one. He’s quite peeved that I’ve caught him in a clear plastic drink cup, so I could get him out of my kitchen and back into the world, where he is one of the many vitally…
Cryptotermes cavifrons
This gorgeous little fairy-like insect is, tragically, a termite, a rather unfortunate insect to find in my backyard. I can only hope that one of my native population of anoles later made itself a snack after I let this pestiferous creature go on about its way. (I try to always properly thank my photo subjects.)…
Surinam Cockroach
Honestly, living in Florida, I’m surprised I didn’t run into a photographable roach sooner. You are, at this moment, eye to eye with the nymph of a Surinam cockroach, Pycnoscelus surinamensis. She’s adorable, isn’t she? When she’s an adult, she’ll be about 18-25mm long (almost an inch) — right now, she’s about 8mm long. Surinam…