Wallace's Longwing vs Woodlouse Cockroach

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Wallace's Longwing Woodlouse Cockroach
Scientific Name Heliconius wallacei Prosoplecta semperi
Order Lepidoptera Blattodea
Family Nymphalidae Ectobiidae
Size 60-72 mm wingspan 5-8mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Nectar Feeders Predators
Regions South America (Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador) Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Wallace's Longwing

A relatively rare Heliconius species with dark wings marked by a distinctive yellow band on the forewing and red patches at the base of the hindwing. Named after the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace. It is primarily found in western Amazonian forests.

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Did You Know?

Named after Alfred Russel Wallace, who independently conceived the theory of evolution by natural selection while studying insects in South America and Southeast Asia.

Woodlouse Cockroach

A tiny rounded cockroach that strongly resembles a ladybird beetle with its domed shape and red-orange coloring with black spots. It is a harmless forest floor species. Its mimicry deters predators.

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Did You Know?

It so closely resembles a ladybird that even entomologists can be fooled until they look at it under magnification.