Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Blattidae Rank Species | Phylum Arthropoda Order Dictyoptera Genus Polyzosteria | |
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Similar Polyzosteria, Paratropes, Dictyoptera, Aptera fusca, Australian cockroach | ||
Polyzosteria mitchelli, also known as Mitchell's diurnal cockroach or the Mardi Gras cockroach, is a species of bush cockroach found in Australia. It is a diurnal species and its typical habitat is semi-arid regions of Australia's warm temperate zone.
Description
Polyzosteria mitchelli is a wingless, dorsally-flattened insect. It is typically blue and yellow in colour, and thus is one of the most strikingly coloured Australian cockroaches. It is primarily found in semi-arid areas of Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales.
P. mitchelli sprays a pungent defensive fluid from glands in its abdomen when disturbed.
References
Polyzosteria mitchelli Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA