Madagascar Hissing Cockroach: Gromphadorhina portentosa
In the Wild
Description:
 Brown-black insect with 6 legs, antennae and no wings
 Size: 2.5 inches long
 Weight: 40 grams
Habitat and Range:
 The island of Madagascar
 Tropical lowland forests, rainforests
 Live primarily on the forest floor
Diet

Detritivores: Eat decaying plant and animal matter; may also eat smaller insects
Adaptations
 Hiss by expelling air through spiracles (holes in the sides of the abdomen)
o Adult males hiss during aggressive encounters and during courtship and mating
o Females and late-stage nymphs hiss only when they’re disturbed or threatened
o Hiss is their defense against predators
o Hiss can be heard up to 12 feet away
 Males have “horns” (females’ may too, but much less pronounced)
o Called pronatal humps
o Males ram each other when vying for females
 Defensive stance (on their “toes”) is called “stilting”
 “Hooked” feet are perfect for climbing
 Flattened body is good for navigating narrow places
Lifespan
 In captivity: 2-5 years
 In the wild: Unknown
Ecosystem relationships
 Decomposers – help “recycle” and keep waste at a minimum
 Prey for many animals, including ground-feeding birds, tenrecs and arachnids
Reproduction
 Breed year-round
 Females are ovoviviparous (bear live young)
o Gestation is roughly 60 days
o Females create an “ootheca,” a cocoon-like egg-case to carry the eggs and
neonatal nymphs inside their bodies
o May bear up to 60 nymphs
 Nymphs reach maturity in five to ten months, or usually after 6 molts
04/04/2013
Madagascar Hissing Cockroach: Gromphadorhina portentosa

Incomplete metamorphosis: egg nymph adult
Activity
 Nocturnal
Other “fun facts”
 3,000 – 4,000 species of cockroaches exist
 99% of cockroach species, including Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches, are not pests
 Have no wings – cannot fly
 Nearest relatives include mantids, grasshoppers, stick insects and termites
 Known as “living fossils”, these insects are very similar to the prehistoric cockroaches
that lived on Earth long before the dinosaurs
 People eat Hissing Cockroaches too!
o High in protein
o Eating insects is called “Entomophagy”
Conservation Status and Threats:
 Not-listed by the IUCN
 Although they are not endangered, they are an important part of the ecosystem of the
rainforest habitat where they live.
At the Zoo



Current group of roaches first acquired in 2005 and added to several times since
Have both males and females
Embassy roaches are fed produce
What We Can Do


Make environmentally responsible lifestyle decisions to help conserve habitat –
conserve energy, reduce litter and pollution
Choose your pets carefully, the illegal pet trade threatens many other species
References:
 Buchsbaum, Ralph. Animals without Backbones. Third ed. Chicago: University of
Chicago, 1987. Print.
 Grzimek, Bernhard. Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York: Van Nostrand
Reinhold, 1972. Print. Insects.
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/madagascar-hissingcockroach.html
 http://rosamondgiffordzoo.org/assets/uploads/animals/pdf/Madagascar%20Hissing
%20Coc kroach.pdf
 http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef014.asp
04/04/2013