← Gallery II · The Orders
No. 08 · Hemimetabolous
Cockroaches & Termites
Blattodea
~7,400
Described species
~11
Families
Introduction
Modern molecular phylogenetics confirmed what some entomologists long suspected: termites are highly social cockroaches. The old order Isoptera is now subsumed into Blattodea as the epifamily Termitoidae.
Field marks
Key ID traits.
Flattened oval body. Long antennae. Leathery forewings (tegmina) cover membranous hindwings in roaches. Termites are now classified within Blattodea — they are essentially social, wood-eating cockroaches.
Etymology
Latin blatta 'cockroach'
Wings
Variable
Diet
Omnivore · Detritivore · Wood
Habitat
Terrestrial
Notable examples
American cockroach, German cockroach, Madagascar hissing cockroach, Formosan termite, Eastern subterranean termite.
Where to look