Blattodea

Common name:

Cockroaches and termites

Distribution:

Every continent except Antarctica

Habitat:

A wide range of habitats such as leaf litter, rotting wood, thick vegetation, crevices, cavities beneath bark, and debris

Diet:

Cockroach: Detritus primarily and other insects opportunistically
Termite: Materials containing cellulose, but the specific termite diet varies by species

Number of species globally

7500

Number of species in Hong Kong :

Morphology
(how to recognize them) :

Cockroach
-Head pointing downwards
-Antennae are long
-Oval-shaped black or brown body
-Spiny legs

Termites
-Head round and broad
-Straight and bead-like antennae
-Body width of the middle part same as head and back end

Diagram

Did you know ?

Cockroaches are considered as one of the fastest insects in the world. Thanks to their jointed legs, flattened body, and the ability to rapidly change leg movements, cockroaches can run up to 3 miles an hour (nearly 5km)! Their speed with such body size would be equivalent to humans running 200 miles an hour (nearly 322km)!