Tuberculate Litter Cockroach
S1, Male, Anal Plate, dorsal
Ellura
Tuberculate Litter Cockroach
S1, Male, ventral
 
                 
Tuberculate Litter Cockroach (Platyzosteria scabrella)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Jointed Legs (Arthropoda) - Insects (Insecta)
Order: Cockroaches (Blattodea)
Family: Cockroach (Blattidae)
Species: Tuberculate Litter Cockroach (Platyzosteria scabrella)
This Photo:     🔍S1, Male, Anal Plate, ventral🔎

Thank you Matthew Connors for identifying this species for us

General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA) and elsewhere
1st Live Photo Identified:

~17mm & ~22mm long females & ~19.5mm long male.

A VERY special thankyou to Matthew, who not only id'ed these for us, but actually found all 3 specimens. His ability to find inverts is astounding!

Matthew said the key features were
  • Asymmetrical claws; it's good at the start because a couple of Melanozosteria species have symmetrical claws, so if the claws are symmetrical we can easily tell that it's Melanozosteria
  • Very tuberculate, especially towards the abdomen.
  • No wings, or wing buds.
  • Coxal borders are yellow.
  • Usually not uniformly dark, often reddish patches, especially around the edges.
  • Size 16-25mm but usually under 20mm.
  • Fore-fema comb takes up approximately 3/4 of the fema.

Copyright © 2025 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 22-Jan-2025
This species is an Australian Native Species, not listed in the SA Murray Mallee Survey of 2010.