List of species of genus Gromphadorhina

4 min readFeb 18, 2023

Gromphadorhina genus

All articles consider the species Gromphadorhina portentosa also known as hissing cockroaches. Before distinguishing them from each other, you need to get acquainted with all the species in this genus.

The body length of adult insects is up to 110 mm, weight is up to 70 g. Wingless at all stages. Like all members of the tribe Gromphadorhini, they are from the island of Madagascar (Endemics of Madagascar). They live in the forest floor of the rain and arid tropical forests of the island. They are omnivores, preferring plant foods such as rotten leaves of various plants, their green parts, fruits (both fresh and rotting), pieces of bark, etc.

The Gromphadorhina include four species, all from the island of Madagascar:

Gromphadorhina grandidieri

Their sclerite (chitin plates) includes two colors — yellow above, black below. Because of this, this cockroach got its name — “Tiger Hisser”. The coloring is similar to a wasp or hornet. There is a separate variety — large black cockroaches of the species G. grandidieri black. In structure, they are exactly the same as their striped relatives, but their belly is coal-black. Adult size 60–70 mm. Live up to 5 years.

Gromphadorhina oblongonota

They are common in the pet trade, where they are known as “wide-horned hissers” and their scientific name is frequently misspelled as either oblongata or oblongonata. This species is difficult to distinguish from the common G. portentosa and is commonly confused with it, although oblongonota tends to be significantly larger and somewhat darker than portentosa. This species is not only larger than the rest of its brethren, but also hisses louder.

Gromphadorhina picea

There is little information about this species. It is known that it was discovered in 1973.

Gromphadorhina portentosa

All four known Gromphadorhina species are widely kept as exotic pets, with G. portentosa being arguably the most common. Many pet dealers, unaware of the fact that there are four species in the genus, classify their stock as portentosa, even though they are selling oblongonota, mixtures of portentosa and oblongonota, or hybrids of these two species.

All about Gromphadorhina portentosa in my article “Madagascar Hissing Cockroach: Common Info”
All about Body types and body color in my article “Body Types Of Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches”