Gromphadorhina Explained

Gromphadorhina is a genus of large, flightless cockroaches from southern Madagascar;^[1] they are typical of the tribe Gromphadorhini (hissing cockroaches) and common in the pet trade.^[1] In the older literature, the name is sometimes misspelled as Gromphadorrhina.

Species

The Cockroach Species File^[2] lists:

1. Gromphadorhina grandidieri Kirby, 1904
2. Gromphadorhina oblongonota van Herrewege, 1973
3. Gromphadorhina picea van Herrewege, 1973
4. Gromphadorhina portentosa (Schaum, 1853) - type species (as Hormetica portentosa Schaum)

As pets

All four Gromphadorhina species are widely kept as exotic pets, where the most well-known species is the Madagascar hissing cockroach, (G. portentosa), though this is debatable as at least two other species in the genus are commonly confused with it; G. oblongonota^[3] and G. picea.^[1]

Notes and References

1. Delfosse . E. . 2004 . Les blattes souffleuses de Madagascar . Insectes . 153 . 4 . 19–22 .
2. https://cockroach.speciesfile.org/otus/858689/overview Cockroach Species File
3. Web site: Gromphadorhina oblongonota or G. portentosa? . 2022-11-05 . Allpet Roaches Forum . en-US.