Domino Cockroaches (Therea petiveriana) - Nymphs / Adults
Looking for a striking display insect with a stunning visual impact? The Domino Cockroach (Therea petiveriana) is a world-renowned mimic species from India, famous for its velvet-black body and iconic seven white spots.
These active, diurnal insects are a favorite for display bioactive setups due to their high-contrast "Domino" pattern and fascinating social behaviors.
At EntoScapes, our Dominoes are UK captive-bred and raised on our specialist forest-floor substrates to ensure a healthy life cycle from nymph to adult.
Explore the sections below for our biology-led guide on substrate depth, humidity gradients, and the unique lifecycle of these incredible Indian forest roaches.
- Origin: The Domino Cockroach (Therea petiveriana), often called the desert cockroach, seven-spotted cockroach, or Indian domino cockroach, is a species of crepuscular cockroach found in Sri Lanka.
- High Activity: This species is one of the more attractive types of cockroach found in the hobby, and in our experience, one of the most active and interesting to keep. Adults can be seen often running around and climbing within their tanks, and seem to enjoy running around in small groups.
- Appearance: Males and females look the same, with the velvet black body with distinctive white spots. You can sex the adults by looking at the antenna and ventral segments of the abdomen. Males have long hairy antenna and two segments, whereas females have smaller, straighter antenna and one segment with a bulged appearance. Nymphs are saucer shaped and a coppery-brown colour, and spend most of their time hidden within the substrate.
- Long-term Pet: Nymphs undergo several moults over at least 8 months before becoming an adult, which can then live for another 4 or 5 months in optimal conditions
- Behaviours: Like other roach species, adults communicate using pheromones and when disturbed can release secretions with volatile compounds, which induce alarm behaviour amongst the colony. These are fun to handle as they are totally harmless, but they can be very fast when they want to!
- Batesian Mimicry: It is believed that these cockroaches developed their striking black and white colouration through Batesian mimicry, allowing them to appear like the species of predatory ground beetle Anthia sexguttata, thereby deterring other predators.
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