The Australian cockroach (Validiblatta australasiae), synonym Periplaneta australasiae, is a species of cockroach in the family Blattidae. It is a common species of tropical cockroach, with a length of .
It is brown overall, with the tegmina having a conspicuous lateral pale stripe or margin, and the pronotum (head shield) with a sharply contrasting pale or yellow margin. It is very similar in appearance to the American cockroach and may be easily mistaken for it. It is, however, slightly smaller than the American cockroach, and has a yellow margin on the thorax and yellow streaks at its sides near the wing base.
Distribution
Despite its name, the Australian cockroach is a cosmopolitan species, and an introduced species in Australia. V. australasiae probably originated in Africa.
References
External links
- Black and white photographs of top view of P. australasiae male and female specimens, from Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections.
- Drawings of body parts of a male P. australasiae; plate VII, figures 17–19 show detail of pronotum, end of abdomen with cerci, and enlarged view of the genital process. From a 1917 article by Morgan Hebard, with a key to the figures on pages 280–281.