Harvey the rare mutant cockroach, a prominent resident of the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House in St. Louis, died late last year. He was likely about 2 years old, a “geriatric” age for a roach, according to his human companions.
Harvey was an international scientific curiosity who may have been the only cockroach of his kind. His coloring was split in two along his abdomen, with one side a deep brown and the other a lighter, striped caramel.
“Everybody was incredibly excited to learn about Harvey, and no one had ever been able to point to any animal, any insect, any other cockroach that exhibited the same traits Harvey did,” said Tad Yankoski, senior entomologist at the Butterfly House. “It appears that Harvey was unique.”…