Oriental Cockroach vs Malagasy Mound-building Termite

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Oriental Cockroach Malagasy Mound-building Termite
Scientific Name Blatta orientalis Microcerotermes subtilis
Order Blattodea Blattodea
Family Blattidae Termitidae
Size 20-27 mm 3-5 mm
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Omnivores Wood Feeders
Regions Europe, North America, Asia, Africa Madagascar
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Oriental Cockroach

A dark brown to black cockroach with a shiny body, often called a waterbug. It prefers cool, damp environments and is less agile than other cockroach species.

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Did You Know?

Oriental cockroaches produce a distinctive and particularly unpleasant musty odor from chemicals secreted by glands on their bodies.

Malagasy Mound-building Termite

A small termite species that constructs conspicuous carton mounds on tree trunks or the ground. Workers are pale and soft-bodied with darkened head capsules.

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Did You Know?

Its dark carton mounds are made from a mixture of soil, chewed wood, and fecal material cemented together, and they can persist for years even after the colony dies.