Cockroach nymph
probably
Ellipsidion sp.
Family: Ectobiidae
Order: Blattodea
Cockroaches can be mistaken for beetles but are in the order Blattodea (rather than the order Coleoptera). Unlike beetles, which have hard elytra or wing covers, cockroach wing covers are soft and flexible. Cockroaches tend to have longer antennae and legs than beetles.
Like termites, which are also in the order Blattodea, cockroaches exhibit "incomplete" metamorphesis or hemimetabolous metamorphesis. In this type of development, the juvenile form is called a nymph. The life cycle is egg, nymph, adult. There can be several stages in the nymph develpoment and these are called instars. (For insects that have 'complete' metamorphesis, or holometabolous metamorphesis, the juvenile form is called a larva. The life cycle for holometabolous metamorphesis is: egg, larva, pupa, adult. The term 'instar' is also used for the development stages of holometabolous insects.)
There are 450 described species of cockroach in Australia - a good proportion of the 4000 species that are known in the world. Very few are pests to humans.
In this photo, we have a tiny nymph feeding on a flower.
The protrusions at the pesterior end of the abdomen are circi: sensory organs with a similar function to antenae in sensing vibrations.
Cockroach nymph
probably
Ellipsidion sp.
Family: Ectobiidae
Order: Blattodea
Cockroaches can be mistaken for beetles but are in the order Blattodea (rather than the order Coleoptera). Unlike beetles, which have hard elytra or wing covers, cockroach wing covers are soft and flexible. Cockroaches tend to have longer antennae and legs than beetles.
Like termites, which are also in the order Blattodea, cockroaches exhibit "incomplete" metamorphesis or hemimetabolous metamorphesis. In this type of development, the juvenile form is called a nymph. The life cycle is egg, nymph, adult. There can be several stages in the nymph develpoment and these are called instars. (For insects that have 'complete' metamorphesis, or holometabolous metamorphesis, the juvenile form is called a larva. The life cycle for holometabolous metamorphesis is: egg, larva, pupa, adult. The term 'instar' is also used for the development stages of holometabolous insects.)
There are 450 described species of cockroach in Australia - a good proportion of the 4000 species that are known in the world. Very few are pests to humans.
In this photo, we have a tiny nymph feeding on a flower.
The protrusions at the pesterior end of the abdomen are circi: sensory organs with a similar function to antenae in sensing vibrations.