Porcellio scaber
| Porcellio scaber | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Crustacea |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Isopoda |
| Suborder: | Oniscidea |
| Family: | Porcellionidae |
| Genus: | Porcellio |
| Species: | P. scaber |
| Binomial name | |
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Porcellio scaber Latreille, 1804 |
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Porcellio scaber (otherwise known as the common rough woodlouse or simply rough woodlouse), is a species of European woodlouse. It is not to be confused with Armadillidium which are able to curl into a ball to defend themselves.
Porcellio scaber is found across Central and Western Europe. In the United Kingdom, it is one of the "big five" species of woodlouse. It has also colonised North America, South Africa and other areas, largely through human activity. It is also the most common species of woodlouse found in Australian gardens.
P. scaber can grow up to 20mm long, and is usually a grey colour, paler underneath, although brown, blue, yellow or pinkish hues may also be observed (like many other woodlice, a red variety can often be found in coastal areas). It lives in a wide variety of habitats which contain reasonable to high levels of humidity, but it is less dependent on water than Oniscus asellus.
P.Scabers lose water by diffusion through their permeable exoskeletons. Because of this, to avoid desiccation they will often seek out environments with humid air and plenty of ground moisture, preferably cold to minimize rate of water loss, and dark to avoid detection by predators.
P.Scabers will often be found in conditions such as ones under plant pots or bricks in gardens, because they provide shelter and a nearby source of food.
P.Scabers are detrivores meaning that they mainly feed on dead matter and excreted waste (fallen leaves, wood, etc.) however a larger group can start to work their way through live plants as well, causing problems for any gardens they inhabit.
They often form one of the bottom rungs of the food chain with many species preying on them (millipedes, shrews, etc.) and one species of spider (Dysdera crocata) preying entirely on woodlice.
P.Scaber woodlice has a head composed of three lobes. The head has a compound eye and two antenna. The body is covered by a segmented exoskeleton called the thorax.
As woodlice excrete their nitrogenous waste as ammonia, their exoskeleton is permeable to ammonia and water, and lacks a waxy cuticle.
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Wikipedia