Anyone keep giant bananas?

[Jimbobtom]

I have some of these, bought them a few times and it seems like a lot of them are just regular banana roaches with a few being the giants. Do they continually grow once they turn green and grow wings? 

[Test Account]

The normal banana is Panchlora nivea; the giant is a completely different species (currently unidentified; bug taxonomy is quite messy)

 

All winged insects are adults and cannot grow (mayflies are a major exception; they have a strange winged subadult too)

 

 

 

I suspect the seller was sloppy and mixed in some normal bananas with the giants

[Jimbobtom]

Wow, that clears up a lot thank you! Didn't know all winged insects can't grow... very interesting! So is there any risk of hybridization with giants and regulars being in the same bin?

[Marlon]

If I recall, its the females that are larger , the males appear to be normal sized.  I thought the same thing when I started with them.  My small colony I started around 6 months ago, I regularly think they are all dead, then they keep showing up.  Not a comfort roach.  At least not yet.  Several times had a spastic one hyperspeed out of the jar, jump into a lid, run up my arm, jump again, catch it, lose again, @#$$%, catch, and throw back in , whew! stressful.  

[Test Account]

1 hour ago, Marlon said:

If I recall, its the females that are larger , the males appear to be normal sized.

Giant Panchlora males are indeed smaller than females, according to Orin (user Allpet Roaches).

 

In Invertebrates for Exhibition, Orin writes that the giant species is twice as large as nivea; giant females = 27mm, giant males = 18mm

[Test Account]

Not sure if the two species can make hybrids, but do err on the side of caution

[Jimbobtom]

Great... I must have been throwing males into my regular banana colony. Should I be worrying?

 

These guys are a little difficult to handle as mentioned, but my chameleons go nuts for them. I liked the idea of having the giants because the small ones are so tiny. Even the giants are small for chameleons, but they add great variety and I let some of them live in the cham enclosures as part of the bio crew.