Aeluropoda insignis

When I first acquired this species I had no idea how much I would grow to absolutely adore them. These hissers have rapidly moved up the list into easily my top 3, if not my #1 favorite species of roach. Between their very large adult size, beautiful red and black color scheme, unique flattened morphology, and their ease of care, what’s not to love?

This is one of those species that should absolutely be in your collection whether you’re a total beginner or a seasoned veteran in the hobby. Put them on a couple inches of substrate with a decent level of moisture in a warm (~75–85°F) setup with excellent ventilation and plenty of bark slabs and rot wood chunks for them to navigate and shelter on.

Their diet is pretty straightforward and easy: dry dog food, fish flakes or pellets, dried leaves (which they seem to especially enjoy), vegetable scraps, and occasional sweet treats like fruit or Asian jelly (“Jin Jin” brand is my preferred go-to, and is more like Jell-O or gelatin than traditional American jelly or jam).