How difficult is it to keep Japanese giant wood cockroach?

Intermediate. This is an intermediate-level species. Some prior experience and knowledge of environmental management are recommended.

What is the lifespan of Japanese giant wood cockroach?

The average lifespan of Japanese giant wood cockroach is Nymphal period 4-5 years or more; adults 2.5-3 years. With proper care and nutrition, they can live a long and healthy life.

How large does Japanese giant wood cockroach get?

Japanese giant wood cockroach typically reaches Body length 40-45 mm as an adult. Size may vary depending on care conditions and individual genetics.

What should I feed Japanese giant wood cockroach?

Japanese giant wood cockroach feeds on: Rotting wood (well-decayed hardwood). Aim for a balanced diet with appropriate feeding frequency.

What is the typical price for Japanese giant wood cockroach?

The price of Japanese giant wood cockroach varies significantly depending on morph, size, and lineage. Check our market price page for the latest pricing information.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Japanese giant wood cockroach

Intermediate

Panesthia angustipennis spadica

A glossy black forest cockroach about 4 cm long. It lives in groups inside rotting logs in evergreen broadleaf forest and feeds on the wood. Nymphs take four to five years or more to mature, so breeding is slow.

Difficulty

Intermediate

Lifespan

Nymphal period 4-5 years or more; adults 2.5-3 years

Size

Body length 40-45 mm

Diet

Rotting wood (well-decayed hardwood)

About

Panesthia angustipennis spadica is a cockroach of the family Blaberidae, the Japanese and Taiwanese subspecies of P. angustipennis, which ranges widely across Southeast Asia. Adults are 40-45 mm long and jet black, and males have a pair of weak horn-like projections on the front edge of the pronotum. The hind wings are developed, but the insects are thought to fly very rarely. It occurs in Honshu (from Aomori southward), Shikoku, Kyushu and nearby islands, and Taiwan, living in groups inside fallen logs and stumps, mainly in the remnant evergreen broadleaf forests dominated by Castanopsis. It eats the wood of rotting logs, digesting it with the help of gut symbionts. In one study nymphs took four to five years or more to mature, adults lived two and a half to three years, and females produced a brood of twenty-odd nymphs once a year in summer, a very low reproductive rate for a cockroach. It has declined in some areas through forest loss and drying of the forest floor, and Miyagi lists it as Vulnerable while Aomori, Ishikawa and Aichi list it as Near Threatened. In Japan it is occasionally sold by specialist shops as a native forest cockroach.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Lifespan of the Japanese giant wood cockroach

The Japanese giant wood cockroach lives Nymphal period 4-5 years or more; adults 2.5-3 years.

Size of the Japanese giant wood cockroach

The Japanese giant wood cockroach grows to Body length 40-45 mm.

Basic Info

Origin

Japan (Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and nearby islands) and Taiwan

Lifespan

Nymphal period 4-5 years or more; adults 2.5-3 years

References & Sources

Edited & verified by: BreederDirect editorial team

The taxonomic, regulatory, and husbandry data on this page are compiled and verified against the authoritative primary sources below.

Primary sources

Taxonomy & Authority

Accepted name: Panesthia angustipennis spadica (Shiraki, 1906)

Synonyms: Cryptogercus spadicus Shiraki, 1906, Panesthia spadica (Shiraki, 1906), Panesthia angustipennis yayeyamensis Asahina, 1988

Authority databases: GBIF · GBIF

Nomenclature follows global taxonomic authority databases.

Regulations & Conservation Status

Not CITES-listed

It is not covered by the Invasive Alien Species Act or the Act on Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and is not listed by CITES (September 2026). It has declined locally, however: Miyagi lists it as Vulnerable and Aomori, Ishikawa and Aichi as Near Threatened. Follow local rules when collecting and never release captive or non-local animals.

Sources: Ministry of the Environment: Nationally rare species list (JA) / Ministry of the Environment: List of regulated alien species, including taxa needing an identification certificate (JA) / Species+ CITES query (not listed)

Regulations may change. Always verify the latest information with the relevant authorities.