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Armadillidiidae sp.

Armadillidiidae sp.


Family: Armadillidiidae
Order: Isopoda
Class: Malacostraca
Phylum / Division: Arthropoda
Kingdom: Animalia

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Description


Armadillidiidae is a family of woodlice, a terrestrial crustacean group in the order Isopoda. Unlike members of some other woodlice families, members of this family can roll into a ball, an ability they share with the outwardly similar but unrelated pill millipedes and other animals. This ability gives woodlice in this family their common names of pill bugs or rolly pollies. Other common names include slaters, potato bugs, curly bugs, and doodle bugs. Most species are native to the Mediterranean Basin, while a few species have wider European distributions. The best-known species, Armadillidium vulgare, was introduced to New England in the early 19th century and has become widespread throughout North America.

Common names: 
NameRegion
Basketball bugUS
Bed pisser Pissebed/BedpisserNetherlands / Belgium
Bench biterDenmark
Bicho bolitaArgentina
CarpenterCanada, US (certain regions)
Cellar bugGermany
Cement bugCanada
Cheesy bugUK (parts of)
Chiggy pigUK (Devon)
Chuckie pigUS (South)
CochinillaMéxico
Curly bugCanada
Dangomushi (Dango bug)Japan
Doodlebug, doodle bugUS
Fat PigIreland
GramersowUK (Cornwall)
Gray sowSweden
Chanchito (little pig)South America (certain countries)
Little soil pig/small creature (porcellino di terra/onisco)Italy
MarranitoColombia
Parsons pigUK
Pill bugGlobal
Possibly "closed door" CloporteFrancophone regions]]
Potato bugUK, Canada, US
Roll-up bugUS
Rollie Pollie, Roly PolyUS, Canada, Australia
Slater bugAustralia
SlaterAustralia, New Zealand, Scotland, Ireland (Ulster)
Sowbug, sow bugUS
Tatu bolinhaBrazil
Twiddle bugUS
Uri Kadoori (sphere-like "Uri")Israel
WoodbugCanada
WoodlouseUK, Australia, US


Ecology and behavior: Pill bugs in the family Armadillidiidae are able to form their bodies into a ball shape, in a process known as conglobation. Conglobation has evolved independently in several families; this behaviour is shared with pill millipedes (which are often confused with pill bugs), armadillos, cuckoo wasps, and some extinct trilobites. It may be triggered by stimuli such as vibrations or pressure, and is a key defense against predation; it may also reduce respiratory water losses. This defense mechanism is possible because of their segmented body structure. Armadillidiidae have overlapping plates called tergites that are connected by flexible joints. The tergites allow the body to roll up inwards. To roll up, they have muscles called pleopods that contract the abdominal tergites inwards.

The diet of pill bugs is largely made up of decaying or decomposed plant matter such as leaves and, to a lesser extent, wood fibers. Pill bugs also eat living plants, especially in wet conditions, sometimes consuming leaves, stems, shoots, roots, tubers, and fruits. Some species of pill bugs are known to eat decaying animal flesh or feces. They will also eat shed snakeskin and dead bugs, if necessary. This diet has a secondary effect of accelerating the breakdown of litter, aiding in the retention of organic material in the soil. This helps in balancing the carbon content in the soil. Pill bugs also contribute to their ecosystem as detritivores.

Pill bugs are often found in damp places with ample amounts of decaying matter, such as leaf litter and compost piles. However, pill bugs can be serious pests in certain agricultural systems, particularly in areas that are prone to heavy rains and flood conditions. Since they are attracted to decaying plant matter, they are often found on farms eating the crop residue. This leads pill bugs to start eating emerging seedlings. This has started to pose agricultural problems in Southern Australia. Farmers in the United States and Argentina have also reported increased rates of pill bugs destroying seed oil and soybean crops. They have also been observed eating wood supports in houses, making them a house pest. Pill bugs will feed on numerous crop plants including corn, beans, squash, peas, melon, chard, beet, cucumber, potato, spinach, lettuce, and strawberry, with potential for significant yield loss in strawberry in particular.

Classification: The family Armadillidiidae is differentiated from other woodlouse families by the two-segmented nature of the antennal flagellum, by the form of the uropods, and by the ability to roll into a ball.

Within the family Armadillidiidae, 18 genera are currently recognized:

  • Alloschizidium Verhoeff, 1919 (13 species)
  • Armadillidium Brandt, 1831 (more than 200 species)
  • Ballodillium Vandel, 1961 (monotypic)
  • Cristarmadillidium Arcangeli, 1936 (4 species)
  • Cyphodillidium Verhoeff, 1939 (monotypic)
  • Echinarmadillidium Verhoeff, 1901 (3 species)
  • Eleoniscus Racovitza, 1907 (monotypic)
  • Eluma Budde-Lund, 1885 (5 species)
  • Estenarmadillidium Cifuentes, 2021 (monotypic)
  • Paraschizidium Verhoeff, 1919 (5 species)
  • Paxodillidium Schmalfuss, 1985 (monotypic)
  • Platanosphaera Strouhal, 1956 (6 species)
  • Schizidium Verhoeff, 1901 (26 species)
  • Trichodillidium Schmalfuss, 1989 (3 species)
  • Troglarmadillidium Verhoeff, 1900 (8 species)
  • Trogleluma Vandel, 1946 (2 species)
  • Typhlarmadillidium Verhoeff, 1900 (4 species)


A 2022 study of myrmecophilous populations indicated that these represented a new species of Cristarmadillidium, and three new species within a new genus, Iberiarmadillidium.

Source: Wikipedia, article Armadillidiidae sp.. Content adapted from Wikipedia, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Accessed on 17/07/2026.





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Foto
Photography ID: 467324
  Adult

Avellaneda
Buenos Aires
Argentina
10/16/2021
Eduardo Nadal



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Page 1
Record IDDateExact timeCountryProvince / departmentPlaceFilmedPhotographedRecorded vocalObservedHeardWounded or deadNumber of individualsUser or BibliographyDetail
148446416/10/2021ArgentinaBuenos AiresEco Área Avellaneda, AvellanedaEduardo Nadal
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Recommended citation
Please use the following reference when citing this species account.
EcoRegistros. 2026. Armadillidiidae sp. – Species account. Accessed from www.ecoregistros.org on 24/09/2026.