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Giant Rainforest Cockroach Stuns Researchers
Megaloblatta longipennis, the world’s largest winged cockroach, inhabiting the rainforests of Peru, Ecuador and Panama, is notable for its extreme size, with a recorded specimen reaching 97 mm body length and wingspans up to 20 cm.
Classified under Blattodea → Blaberoidea → Ectobiidae → Nyctiborinae, the genus was first described in 1887 by Heinrich Dohrn. Its elongated body, broad pronotum and dual-wing structure enable short gliding flights, while nymphs can produce defensive stridulatory sounds—a behaviour highlighted in a 1982 study.
Field studies refined species boundaries across Central–South America, revealing sexual dimorphism where males have longer wings for canopy gliding, and females possess broader abdomens for reproduction.
Adapted to dense rainforest microhabitats, these nocturnal insects navigate bark crevices and leaf litter efficiently, with richer habitats producing larger individuals.
Classified under Blattodea → Blaberoidea → Ectobiidae → Nyctiborinae, the genus was first described in 1887 by Heinrich Dohrn. Its elongated body, broad pronotum and dual-wing structure enable short gliding flights, while nymphs can produce defensive stridulatory sounds—a behaviour highlighted in a 1982 study.
Field studies refined species boundaries across Central–South America, revealing sexual dimorphism where males have longer wings for canopy gliding, and females possess broader abdomens for reproduction.
Adapted to dense rainforest microhabitats, these nocturnal insects navigate bark crevices and leaf litter efficiently, with richer habitats producing larger individuals.