Snouted Harvester Termite vs Rhinoceros Cockroach

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Snouted Harvester Termite Rhinoceros Cockroach
Scientific Name Trinervitermes geminatus Macropanesthia rothi
Order Blattodea Blattodea
Family Termitidae Blaberidae
Size Workers 3-4 mm, soldiers 4-5 mm 50-60mm
Habitat Grasslands Grasslands
Diet Herbivores Detritivores
Regions West Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal) Oceania
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Snouted Harvester Termite

A nasute termite common in West African savannas that harvests dry grass in large foraging columns. Soldiers defend the colony with a chemical spray from their pointed nasus.

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Did You Know?

Foraging columns of this species can strip a patch of grassland bare overnight during peak activity.

Rhinoceros Cockroach

A large burrowing cockroach related to the giant burrowing cockroach but with a more northern distribution. It is wingless and lives in deep soil burrows. It feeds on leaf litter pulled underground.

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Did You Know?

It digs permanent burrows up to a meter deep and emerges only at night to drag fallen leaves underground.