Black cockroach facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Black cockroach |
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Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Blattodea |
| Family: | Blattidae |
| Genus: | Maoriblatta |
| Species: |
M. novaeseelandiae
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| Binomial name | |
| Maoriblatta novaeseelandiae (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1865)
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The Maoriblatta novaeseelandiae, also known as the large black kekerengu, is a type of cockroach. It belongs to the Blattidae family. People also call it the black stink-roach or black stink cockroach. This cockroach is famous for a special chemical it releases when it feels threatened.
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Meet the Large Black Kekerengu
This cockroach, the Maoriblatta novaeseelandiae, is quite big! It grows to about 25 to 29 millimeters long. That's about the size of your thumb. It has a shiny black outer shell, called an integument. Its legs are a dark red color. Its antennae start brown near its head and get lighter towards the tips. The top of its body has tiny little dots. This is the biggest cockroach that naturally lives only in New Zealand. It cannot fly. The first official sample of this cockroach is kept at the Natural History Museum, Vienna.
Where It Lives and What It Eats
You can find this cockroach in the native lowland forests of New Zealand. It lives all over the North Island. It also lives in coastal areas of the northern South Island. Records show it lives from the Three Kings Islands in the north to Kaikoura in the south. It can live from sea level up to 600 meters high on the North Island.
This cockroach likes to hide among grasses. It also hides under rotten logs, stones, and other plant bits. It eats decaying plant material. It is usually active at night. During the day, it hides behind tree bark, under stones, or inside logs.
How It Defends Itself
This special cockroach has a cool way to protect itself. If it feels bothered or picked up, it releases a yellow liquid. This liquid comes from a special gland inside its belly. The gland opens between the sixth and seventh sternites (parts of its underside). Only adult cockroaches can make this defensive chemical.
Scientists have studied this liquid. They found that it helps keep predators away. Animals like weka, pukeko, and mice are turned off by the smell. This chemical defence helps the Maoriblatta novaeseelandiae stay safe in its habitat.
Images for kids
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A typical coastal habitat of the species
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On a piece of driftwood
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On the beach
