The majority of cockroaches in tropical countries exist as scavengers outdoors, feeding on vegetation and organic matter in an apparently harmless fashion. This insect is native to the island of Madagascar, off the eastern coast of Africa, where it appears to play the ecological role of scavenger on or near rotten logs in savannah areas. Little is known of its behavior in the wild. Madagascan roaches exhibit sexual dimorphism, meaning that males and females look or act differently. Male Madagascan roaches have prominent protrusions, called pronatal humps, on the thorax, which look like horns.
Females have a smoother thorax with very small bumps or none at all.
These interactions do not seem to result in injury or death. Females are gregarious and do not fight among themselves or with males. The species is unusual among insects in that the females appear to bear living young. This is known as false ovoviparity. The ootheca is whitish and about an inch long.