Balta bicolor

Balta bicolor is a type of cockroach from the genus Balta.^[1] Native to eastern Australia, the species has been identified in New Zealand since 2009.

Balta bicolor
A Balta bicolor specimen in Auckland, New Zealand
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Blattodea
Family:	Ectobiidae
Genus:	Balta
Species:	B. bicolor
Binomial name
Balta bicolor Hebard, 1943

Description

Balta bicolor has a relatively pale face, occiput and interocular area, with dark antennae. It is visually similar to Ellipsidion cockroaches, and can be distinguished from Balta transversa by its deeper head proportions.^[1]

Distribution and habitat

The species is native to eastern Australia.^[2] In 2009, Biosecurity New Zealand first identified the species in New Zealand (as Balta bicolour), after being found in an Auckland kitchen.^[3]

Balta bicolor is typically found in plant litter or under bark.^[4]

Gallery

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  Balta bicolor ootheca (egg capsule)
• 
  A Balta bicolor specimen in Victoria, Australia
• 
  A Balta bicolor specimen in Auckland, New Zealand