Brown Cockroach vs Protermes Inquiline Termite

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Brown Cockroach Protermes Inquiline Termite
Scientific Name Periplaneta brunnea Protermes prorepens
Order Blattodea Blattodea
Family Blattidae Termitidae
Size 25-35 mm 2-4 mm
Habitat Underground Woodlands
Diet Omnivores Fungus Feeders
Regions Pantropical, southeastern United States East Africa, Southern Africa
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Brown Cockroach

A glossy reddish-brown cockroach often confused with the American cockroach. It is slightly smaller with a more uniform color.

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Did You Know?

It glues its egg cases to surfaces rather than dropping them, unlike the American cockroach.

Protermes Inquiline Termite

A small inquiline termite that lives within the mounds of larger fungus-growing termite species in Africa. Colonies are tiny and discrete, occupying small chambers within the walls of the host mound. Workers feed on fungal material.

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Did You Know?

Inquiline termites like this species are the cuckoos of the termite world, sneaking into other species' elaborate mounds to exploit their resources.