Woodlouse Cockroach vs Australian Cockroach

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Woodlouse Cockroach Australian Cockroach
Scientific Name Prosoplecta semperi Periplaneta australasiae
Order Blattodea Blattodea
Family Ectobiidae Blattidae
Size 5-8mm 23-35 mm
Habitat Forests Underground
Diet Predators Detritivores
Regions Asia Oceania, Asia, Africa, South America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

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.

💡

Did You Know?

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

Australian Cockroach

A large tropical cockroach similar to the American cockroach but with distinctive yellow markings on the pronotum and wing edges. It is a strong flier.

💡

Did You Know?

Despite its name, the Australian cockroach is believed to have originated in tropical Africa and spread worldwide through maritime trade.