Giant burrowing cockroach

Taxobox | name = Giant burrowing cockroach

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regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Insecta
ordo = Blattodea
familia = Blaberidae
genus = "Macropanesthia"
species = "M. rhinoceros"
binomial = "Macropanesthia rhinoceros"
binomial_authority = Saussure, 1895The giant burrowing cockroach ("Macropanesthia rhinoceros") is also known as the rhinoceros cockroach and litter bug. They are native to Australia and mostly found in tropical parts of Queensland. Some people like to keep them as pets and describe them as easy to care for, although they are somewhat difficult to obtain outside of AustraliaFact|date=January 2008. They are the world's heaviest species of cockroach (although not the largest by length) and can weigh up to convert|35|g|lk=on|abbr=on [http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/5588/roch.html The rhinoceros cockroach...as a pet?] ] cite web | title=Pet facts: giant burrowing cockroaches | url=http://www.abc.net.au/creaturefeatures/facts/cockroach.htm | accessmonthday=October| accessyear=2005 ] and measure up to convert|80|mm|lk=on|abbr=on in length. They can live for up to 10 years. Unlike some other cockroaches, they do not have wings and are not considered a pest. The cockroach plays a vital part in the ecosystem by munching on dead leaves and recycling other matter. True to their name, they may burrow down in soil to a depth of about convert|1|m|lk=on where they make a permanent home. The species is ovoviviparous.

References