Polyzosteria mitchelli

Polyzosteria mitchelli
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Dictyoptera
Family: Blattidae
Genus: Polyzosteria
Species: P. mitchelli
Binomial name
Polyzosteria mitchelli
Angas, 1847 [1]
P. mitchelli

Polyzosteria mitchelli, also known as Mitchell's diurnal cockroach [2] or the Mardi Gras cockroach, is a species of bush cockroach found in Australia. It is a diurnal species and its typical habitat is semi-arid regions of Australia's warm temperate zone.

Description

Polyzosteria mitchelli is a wingless, dorsally-flattened insect. It is typically blue and yellow in colour, and thus is one of the most strikingly coloured Australian cockroaches. It is primarily found in semi-arid areas of Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales.[3]

P. mitchelli sprays a pungent defensive fluid from glands in its abdomen when disturbed.[4]

References

  1. "species Polyzosteria mitchelli Angas, 1847". Cockroach Species File. Retrieved 2015-08-13.
  2. "R5574 Native Australian cockroach". NSW Department of Education and Training.
  3. "Esperance Fauna".
  4. George Beccaloni (Curator of cockroaches etc., The Natural History Museum, London). "Cockroaches: An amazing diversity".
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