Megaloblatta longipennis is a species of cockroach in the family Ectobiidae. It is the world's largest cockroach by length and wingspan. It is native to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru;[3][4][5] although its range sometimes is reported to extend into Panama; this is based on misidentifications of the closely related and similar M. blaberoides (the only Central American species in the genus).[6]
Description
Members of M. longipennis are known for their exceptional size; the largest specimen measured 9.7 cm (3.8 in) in length, 4.5 cm (1.8 in) in width, and had a wingspan of 20 cm (8 in).[7] The related M. blaberoides, which is quite similar but differs in certain morphological features,[5] can reach about the same length and almost as much, 18.5 cm (7.3 in), in wingspan.[8]
^"Megaloblatta longipennis (MEGBLO)". EPPO Global Database. Secretariat of the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
^Vidlička, L. (2013). "Cockroaches (Blattaria) of Ecuador—checklist and history of research". Zootaxa. 3599 (5): 401–445. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3599.5.1. PMID24613997.