Turkestan Cockroach vs Jeweled Flower Mantis

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Turkestan Cockroach Jeweled Flower Mantis
Scientific Name Shelfordella lateralis Creobroter gemmatus
Order Blattodea Mantodea
Family Blattidae Hymenopodidae
Size 20-30 mm 30-40 mm
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Omnivores Predators
Regions Asia, North America, Europe Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Turkestan Cockroach

A medium-sized cockroach originally from Central Asia that is rapidly displacing the oriental cockroach in many urban areas. Males are slender with tan wings while females are dark and wingless.

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Did You Know?

The Turkestan cockroach has become the most common outdoor cockroach in the southwestern United States, having largely outcompeted the oriental cockroach in just a few decades.

Jeweled Flower Mantis

A small, brilliantly colored mantis with green and cream body and striking green eyespots ringed with cream on its forewings. It is a jewel of the Asian tropics.

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Did You Know?

Jeweled flower mantises have been observed preferentially hunting near ultraviolet-reflecting flowers, which attract the greatest number of pollinating insects.