TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Shizuma Yanagisawa, a research entomologist at a Japanese insect museum, has discovered two new species of cockroaches, distinctively present in Taiwan and Malaysia.
One of the species, unique to Taiwan, has been named "Periplaneta gigantea," or the "Taiwan Giant Cockroach."
This Taiwanese variant, unexpectedly large for its family, can measure up to 54.5 millimeters in length. Astonishingly, it surpasses even the significant size of the commonly known American cockroach.
Yanagisawa identified it as a new species through careful observation of the male mating organ and systematic measurement of the body length.
This particular roach differs from common foreign species like the American and Australian cockroaches often found in Taiwan. It features an unspotted head and has a sparse yet extensive distribution across Taiwan's mountain regions.
Currently, the new species is on display at the Ryuyo Insect Nature Observation Park in Iwata, furthering the understanding of the incessant biodiversity of the cockroach genus.
