Researchers from the University of Sydney found several individuals on Lord Howe Island in Australia.
The researchers accidentally saw several familiesunique cockroaches under one banyan tree during an expedition to the island. After they checked all the other trees in the area, no other families could be found.
Close-up of the Lord Howe Island cockroach. Image: University of Sydney
The wingless cockroach has a length of 22 to 40 mm,scientists say. Their bodies can range from red to black with a metallic sheen. In total, 11 species of tree cockroaches of the genus Panesthia live in Australia. They all live inside trees and feed on rotten logs in tropical and open forests in northern and eastern Australia.
Their intestines contain specializedmicroorganisms that help digest the cellulose in the wood. As with other species of cockroaches, females give birth to nymphs (wingless individuals that are almost indistinguishable from adult winged ones). They stay in family groups with adult cockroaches.
Maxim Adams, who discovered a unique cockroach. Image: University of Sydney
It was believed that the unique forest cockroach of the islandLord Howe (Panesthia lata), once widespread throughout the archipelago, became extinct after the arrival of rats on the islands in 1918. Over the next few decades, searches uncovered scattered populations of close relatives. But the newly discovered group is genetically different from them.
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