Polyzosteria mitchelli | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Dictyoptera |
Family: | Blattidae |
Genus: | Polyzosteria |
Species: | P. mitchelli |
Binomial name | |
Polyzosteria mitchelli Angas, 1847 |
Polyzosteria mitchelli, also known as Mitchell's diurnal cockroach or the Mardi Gras cockroach, is a species of bush cockroach found in Australia. It is a diurnal species and its typical habitat is semi-arid regions of Australia's warm temperate zone.
Polyzosteria mitchelli is a wingless, dorsally-flattened insect. It is typically blue and yellow in colour, and thus is one of the most strikingly coloured Australian cockroaches. It is primarily found in semi-arid areas of Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales.
P. mitchelli sprays a pungent defensive fluid from glands in its abdomen when disturbed.