| Common Rough Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber (Latreille, 1804)) |
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Scientific name: Porcellio scaber (Latreille, 1804) Common name: Common Rough Woodlouse French name: Porcellion rude, Cloporte rugueux. Order: Isopoda Family: Porcellionidae Size: 11 to 17 mm long and 6 to 8 mm wide. Habitat : Damp and fresh places, compost heaps, under damp wood logs, under the litter. Common Rough Woodlice are less dependant on moisture than Common Shiny Sowbugs. Food: Decaying plants, rotting wood. Reproduction : The female carries the eggs and the babies underneath in a brood pouch. Geographic area: Western and Central Europe. Introduced to North America, South Africa, Australia and new Zeeland. |
Sowbugs are land crustaceans, they breathe through gills on their legs. They have a carapace made up of articulating plates. They have seven pairs of legs. The Common Rough Woodlouse upper side is rough and covered with prominent tubercles. It is a steely grey colour on males and grey marbled with pale brown on females and juveniles. You can also find some paler forms, yellowish or creamy. The head, which is the same colour as the body, shows a sharp lobe. The flagellum of the antenna has two articles. The sides of the body form a continuous line at the back (pleon and pereon). Uropodal exopods, at the rear, are lance-shaped. Oniscus asellus has a smoother back and the flagellum of its antenna has three articles. |
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All the characteristics allowing to identify the Common Rough Woodlouse species are visible on this picture. |
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This side view picture provides a good view of the seven pairs of legs. |
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The eyes are made of about twenty ocelli which are visible on this picture. |
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Here is another try with a close up view on the eye. Unfortunately it is a little in the shadow. |
André Bon November 2020