Megaloblatta is a genus of Neotropical cockroaches in the family Ectobiidae. Species in this genus are long and can have a wingspan of up to ; the world's largest cockroach by length and wingspan is M. longipennis.

Megaloblatta, like many other insects, use stridulation in order to steer their predators away.Bell, W., Fraser, J., Schal, C. (1981). Disturbance stridulation and chemical defense in nymphs of the tropical cockroach Megaloblatta blaberoides. Journal of Insect Physiology, 28(6), 541-552. Retrieved July 2, 2020, from https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1910(82)90035-X. The stridulating insects are less likely to be preyed upon in comparison to individuals of the species with an inability to stridulate.Masters, W. (1979). Insect Disturbance Stridulation: Its Defensive Role. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 5(2), 187-200. Retrieved July 2, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/4599228.

Range

The four Megaloblatta species have separate distributions: M. blaberoides ranges from southern Mexico, through Central America to Colombia and Ecuador; M. insignis is restricted to French Guiana and Suriname; M. longipennis is restricted to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru (although sometimes reported from Panama, this is based on misidentifications of M. blaberoides); and M. regina is from Amazonian Ecuador and Brazil.

See also

List of largest insects

References