Technical sheet of the isopod: Porcellio spinicornis
Scientific Name: Porcellio spinicornis
Taxonomic Classification:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Malacostraca
- Order: Isopoda
- Family: Porcellionidae
- Genus: Porcellio
- Species: Porcellio spinicornis
Common Name: Terrestrial isopod, woodlouse, pill bug (although it doesn’t fully roll up).
General Description:
- Size: Between 10 and 15 mm in length.
- Color: Typically dark gray or brown in color, with possible greenish or yellowish hues.
- Body: The body is dorsoventrally flattened, composed of rigid, articulated segments, providing some flexibility.
- Antennae: Possesses two pairs of antennae. The second pair is long and oriented forward, while the first pair is much shorter.
- Particularity: The name spinicornis refers to the spiny projections found at the tips of its antennae.
Habitat:
- Distribution: Mainly distributed throughout Europe but has been introduced to other parts of the world.
- Environment: Inhabits humid areas such as forest floors, under rocks, logs, and leaf litter. It can colonize urban areas, living in gardens, basements, and other moist zones.
Feeding:
- Diet: Detritivore, feeding on decaying organic matter such as dead leaves, rotting wood, and other plant debris.
- Ecological Importance: Plays a crucial role in nutrient cycling by breaking down organic material in ecosystems.
Behavior:
- Activity: Primarily nocturnal, as it seeks shelter in dark, damp places during the day to avoid desiccation.
- Social Behavior: Lives in small colonies under suitable conditions. Prefers high-humidity areas to maintain body hydration.
Reproduction:
- Life Cycle: Females carry the eggs in a ventral chamber called a marsupium, where the embryos develop until hatching.
- Lifespan: Can live between 1 and 2 years, depending on environmental conditions.
Adaptations:
- Respiration: Has pseudotracheae on its abdominal surface that allow it to breathe, but it requires humid environments to keep these structures functional.
- Defenses: Though it doesn’t roll up entirely like some woodlice, it can hide in small crevices to avoid predators.
