Australian Wood Cockroach vs Ribbed Net-winged Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Australian Wood Cockroach Ribbed Net-winged Beetle
Scientific Name Panesthia cribrata Platycis minutus
Order Blattodea Coleoptera
Family Blaberidae Lycidae
Size 30-40mm 5-7 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Wood Feeders Fungus Feeders
Regions Oceania Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Australian Wood Cockroach

A shiny dark brown wingless cockroach that lives in and feeds on rotting logs. It plays an important ecological role in nutrient recycling. Unlike pest species, it never enters homes.

💡

Did You Know?

It is an essential decomposer in Australian forests, breaking down fallen timber and recycling nutrients into the soil.

Ribbed Net-winged Beetle

A small European net-winged beetle with dark reddish-brown elytra featuring strongly raised longitudinal ridges. It is found on dead wood and fungi in damp forest habitats.

💡

Did You Know?

The strongly ribbed elytra distinguish this small species from other European lycid beetles at a glance.