Lacteus Termite vs Lord Howe Island Cockroach

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Lacteus Termite Lord Howe Island Cockroach
Scientific Name Coptotermes lacteus Panesthia lata
Order Blattodea Blattodea
Family Rhinotermitidae Blaberidae
Size 4-6 mm 30-40 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Wood Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Eastern Australia Australia
Conservation Least Concern Vulnerable

Lacteus Termite

An Australian mound-building termite that constructs distinctive dark, hard-walled mounds up to 2 meters tall. The mounds are a common sight in pastures and open woodland across eastern Australia. Workers are pale and soft-bodied with gut protozoa for cellulose digestion.

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Did You Know?

Their mounds are so durable that they persist for decades after the colony dies and are sometimes used as road-building material in rural Australia.

Lord Howe Island Cockroach

A large wingless wood cockroach endemic to Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. It is closely related to mainland Australian Panesthia species.

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Did You Know?

It is found nowhere else on Earth except the tiny World Heritage-listed Lord Howe Island.