Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Subclass: Pterygota
Infraclass: Neoptera
Superorder: Dictyoptera
Order: Blattodea
Family: Blattidae
Species: Celatoblatta(about 16 species)
Common name: Native Bush Cockroach,
These small cockroaches are NZ natives. They are found in logs and leaf litter, under loose bark. Most of the species favours damp, dark habitats. They are not a household pest. They are usually introduced into a house usually by firewood. They are omnivorous and may feed on all sorts of organic materials. They can even eat dead wood, which they digest with the help of symbiotic gut flora.
The species Celatoblatta quinquemaculata can be found under slabs of rock in the subalpine and alpine regions of New Zealand. It is unusual because it survives through freezing conditions by allowing the water within its body to freeze and as temperature rises they become active.
Photos of Celatoblatta species
Juvenile Bush Cockroach
Viviparous Celatoblatta species of cockroach give birth to live young.
Cockroach egg cases, Most look rather old and are deteriorating, some perhaps chewed by a predator.
Photo of wood lice (Porcellio scaber) and cockroach egg cases to show their comparative size.
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
