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Blatta lateralis is a roach species that is native to the Middle east regions but can be found in the desert areas of the United States. Lateralis is a small feeder roach that is in the range of 22-28 mm as an adult, with a lifespan of up to 18 months, but the average is 12-14 months.

Male Blatta lateralis are light red color with wings while female Blatta lateralis are wingless and dark red. These roaches are extremely fast but can not fly or climb smooth surfaces. Lateralis do lay small ootheca that containers anywhere from 20 to 30 eggs. These ootheca are laid ever few weeks and the eggs hatch between 30 to 150 days depending on temperature and humidity. When used as a feeder roach, you should feed lateralis a high quality food. Nutrition will be passed from what your feeders eat to your pet so a quality diet for your lateralis will be passed along to your pet.

Lateralis is an easy feeder roach to raise and breed but you need to make sure that the container they are kept in is escape proof. I like to use a dark plastic container that has slick insides with a screened top. No substrate is needed for this species, substrate makes it harder to clean the tub out. Always make sure that your lateralis colony has a steady supply of food and a water source. It is preferred to use lateralis to feed fast geckos that can catch them, bearded dragons may be a little to slow and sluggish to chase a Blatta lateralis around.