Liberty Science Center

 

Madagascar Hissing Cockroach

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Common Name: Madagascar Hissing Cockroach

Scientific Name: Gromphadorhina portentosa

Range: Found only in Madagascar.

Habitat: Forage on the floor of tropical forests, near river banks and around logs and trees.

Size: Adults can measure up to 4 inches long.

Diet: Omnivorous, they eat a large range of plant and animal matter.

Interesting Facts:

The Madagascar hissing cockroach has an unusual defense mechanism. Along each side of its body lies a row of holes, called spiracles. These spiracles are used for respiration. When the Madagascar hissing cockroach is threatened, it depresses its abdomen, ejecting air out of its spiracles. This produces a loud hissing noise, which can startle a predator and give the cockroach a chance to escape.


Hissing is also used as a means of communication during courtship and mating, or by males to defend their territories from other males.


Female hissing roaches lay their eggs in a purse-like capsule known as an ootheca. This egg case is kept within the female's body until the eggs hatch, and the young roaches first see the world as tiny nymphs.


You may occasionally see a female with the ootheca partially extruded. This female is in the process of forming the ootheca. The egg case is ivory in color and looks like a series of rice grains stuck together. Once the egg case is completely formed, she will retract it into a special cavity in the tip of her abdomen.