Telephone Pole Beetle vs Lord Howe Island Cockroach

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Telephone Pole Beetle Lord Howe Island Cockroach
Scientific Name Micromalthus debilis Panesthia lata
Order Coleoptera Blattodea
Family Micromalthidae Blaberidae
Size 1.5-2.5 mm 30-40 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Wood Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions North America Australia
Conservation Least Concern Vulnerable

Telephone Pole Beetle

The sole surviving member of an ancient beetle family dating back 200 million years.

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Did You Know?

Larvae can reproduce by paedogenesis, giving live birth while still immature.

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.