Cape Mountain Cockroach vs Peppered Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cape Mountain Cockroach Peppered Moth
Scientific Name Aptera fusca Biston betularia
Order Blattodea Lepidoptera
Family Blattidae Geometridae
Size 35-45 mm 45-62 mm wingspan
Habitat Heathland Woodlands
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions South Africa (Western Cape) Europe, Asia, North America
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Cape Mountain Cockroach

A large, wingless cockroach endemic to the mountains of South Africa. It lives in fynbos vegetation and rocky outcrops.

💡

Did You Know?

It is one of the few cockroach species adapted to cool mountain climates and is completely wingless.

Peppered Moth

The classic textbook example of natural selection in action. During the Industrial Revolution, dark (melanic) forms became dominant in polluted areas with soot-darkened trees.

💡

Did You Know?

The peppered moth is the most famous example of observed evolution — dark moths increased from 2% to 95% of the population during Britains Industrial Revolution.