# wood eating roaches (Panesthia angustipennis)



## tabor (May 20, 2009)

does anyone have experience keeping wood eating roaches, specifically asian ones such as Panesthia angustipennis?

will they usually only eat one type of wood or will any type do?


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## Martin H. (May 21, 2009)

here are some photos of mine:


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## Scythemantis (May 21, 2009)

Wow, those are beautiful! How long do they get? I like the small wing covers that resemble a beetle!

I'd love to know more about their care and availability.


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## Matt K (May 21, 2009)

Care is easy, though they are notorious for not breeding in captivity and not even living that long. (Though some people in Japan and Europe seem to have pretty good luck with them, there still aren't enough produced from those very few people to get them into the hobby here).

Availability is: not available in the USA- they are very illegal to import or have.


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## What (May 22, 2009)

Matt K said:


> Availability is: not available in the USA- they are very illegal to import or have.


Why would they be illegal to import with proper permits?


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## Matt K (May 22, 2009)

In my conversations with government authorities, they will not issue permits for roaches that consume wood/leaves at all.  Aside from the very very remote possibility that they could be a "threat" to our forest industry, they are likely to carry mites or gut parasites that are known for causing crop problems.  When they have been imported illegally and seized, the roaches have been put into quarantine, and did not survive the quarantine period (90 days minimum up to 6 months) without food and water.....

Permits are more likely to be issued for another species of roach, stick insect, etc., before any Panesthia species.

But take a shot at it...worst they can do is say no, right?  

But know that application for importing Panesthia will put you on the government radar guaranteed......


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## burmish101 (May 22, 2009)

I thought they have parasites in their gut and if they are kept over a certain temperature the parasites die and they cant digest food. I think they are supposed to kept on the cool side.


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## What (May 22, 2009)

Matt K said:


> In my conversations with government authorities, they will not issue permits for roaches that consume wood/leaves at all.  Aside from the very very remote possibility that they could be a "threat" to our forest industry, they are likely to carry mites or gut parasites that are known for causing crop problems.  When they have been imported illegally and seized, the roaches have been put into quarantine, and did not survive the quarantine period (90 days minimum up to 6 months) without food and water.....


Ah... very interesting. Interesting that they let any species of roach in at all considering most roaches will feed on decaying plant matter if they are given it.


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## Matt K (May 22, 2009)

Well that's just it, they really wont let in any roach, but some universities have had the ability to import a few species in the past....this is how some wind up in the hobby (or at least how it used to happen anyway)....

Burmish101:  Not necessarily true. Some Panesthia sp. live where the temps are in the 80's to low 90's. Some areas in the Phillipines are in the 90's daily and the damp log in the sun gets really hot. Other species can burrow down to where it stays closer to 70...P.japonica can even go to the low 60's I think and remain as active as ever. (According to literature I have read).  Many tropical roaches have an astounding number of gut fauna species- some live and some dont when the roach is held captive.


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## Vixvy (May 22, 2009)

The photos above are not P.angustipennis angustipennis I think its a different panesthia sp. the ones that Philippines have has 4 separate orange spots. 

P.angustipennis angustipennis can be found in dead logs. Rotten wood and occasionally leaf is what they eat they are fond of high moist area/substrate.


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## Martin H. (May 23, 2009)

Vixvy said:


> The photos above are not P.angustipennis angustipennis I think its a different panesthia sp.


why do you think it is not Panesthia angustipennis and what species do you think it is?


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## Vixvy (May 23, 2009)

Here is a photo of the P.angustipennis angustipennis.







I am no expert but base from the orange spots they might be a sub specie of  P.angustipennis. Place or country of origin may help identify what roach you have there.

The photos above are the same with the P.angustipennis spadica they live and dig tunnels through rotten logs/tree(particular tree species is white lauan tree) on the forest floors. 

Adult Panesthia sp. still poses the orange colors/spots even if they are winged during adulthood. just flip their wings and you will still see their spots/colors.

The P.a.spadica is found in some parts of asia(Taiwan and Japan) and the P.a.angustipennis is found in the Philippines


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## Martin H. (May 23, 2009)

Vixvy said:


> I am no expert but base from the orange spots they are not P.angustipennis.


according to the information I have (e.g. the locality, I have collected them in Tam Dao, Vietnam), they are Panesthia angustipennis but a different subspecies than the Panesthia angustipennis angustipennis on your photos. Someone told me that they should be Panesthia angustipennis brevipennis.

all the best,
Martin


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## Vixvy (May 23, 2009)

Thanks for the additional info Martin. Its nice to know that there is a new specie of Panesthia sp. in the hobby. 

How I wish the last two syllables in their scientific names will change soon! hahahaha!


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