Gisborne Cockroach Drymaplaneta semivitta
(c) Doug Miller, some rights reserved (CC BY)
OrderCockroaches and Termites (Blattodea)
FamilyHousehold Cockroaches (Blattidae)
GenusShining Cockroaches (Drymaplaneta)
This Australian cockroach's global journey began with an accident. It arrived in New Zealand's Gisborne region—probably stashed away in log shipments around 1954—and made the city its permanent home. Now the species itself bears the city's name, a geographic reminder of how easily insects hitchhike across the world in cargo and trade.
Think you can identify this one in the wild?
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