Lacteus Termite vs Sand Cockroach

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Lacteus Termite Sand Cockroach
Scientific Name Coptotermes lacteus Arenivaga investigata
Order Blattodea Blattodea
Family Rhinotermitidae Corydiidae
Size 4-6 mm 15-25 mm
Habitat Woodlands Deserts & Drylands
Diet Wood Feeders Detritivores
Regions Eastern Australia North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

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.

Sand Cockroach

A desert cockroach that extracts water vapor from moist sand through special mouthparts.

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Did You Know?

It can absorb atmospheric water vapor at humidities as low as 83 percent.