The powder blue isopod is a small woodlouse that looks dusted with a bluish-white powder, like the on a grape, which is where its pet-trade name comes from. Originally from Europe, it has traveled with people to warm regions around the world, including the US.
Appearance
- Appearance
- About ½ in (12–13 mm) long. The body is purplish brown to dull gray under a powdery blue-gray bloom, with long whitish legs and pale bands on the antennae.
Look-alikes
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Under stones and logs
- Leaf litter
- Compost and manure piles
- Range
- Native to Europe and now found worldwide, mostly in warmer regions, often near people. In the US it is an introduced species; it was already being reported from upstate New York in the 1950s.
- Preferred conditions
- Needs damp shelter. In Britain it is especially common in manure heaps, compost piles, and around stables and barns, and it also turns up under logs, stones, and leaf litter.
Behavior
- Diet
- Decaying plant material such as rotting leaves and wood.
- Activity
- Mostly active at night. It cannot roll into a ball; when disturbed, it runs quickly for cover.
Name and classification
- About the name
- May actually be a group of very closely related species; ten subspecies are currently recognized. It was formerly placed in the genus Metoponorthus.
- Varieties and forms
- Hobbyists have bred several color forms, including "Powder Orange" and "White Out." Orange individuals also turn up rarely in the wild.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- Easy to keep and quick to breed, it is kept as a pet and raised as live food for other pets.
More species to explore
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