These Isopods are So Cute!
Photo courtesy of SerpaDesign
If you keep a bioactive terrarium, then you may be looking for ways to make your setup more interesting. There are lots of options, like adding vivarium backgrounds, new plants, waterfalls, or fog machines.
Another option, however, is adding diversity to the types of custodial microfauna in the terrarium. To that end, I’ve gathered up the names and pictures of some of the cutest and most interesting looking isopods.
Note that some of these may be harder to find in exotic pet stores than others.
Rubber ducky isopod
Rubber ducky isopods have yellow-orange faces that resemble a duck’s bill. They also have a yellow tail, and their colors make them stand out in any terrarium. That being said, they’re rare and may be difficult to find. They were discovered in Thailand only a few years ago.
Another difference in this species is that they are somewhat larger than many isopods, getting to about 2 centimeters. This shouldn’t be a problem in most reasonably sized tanks.
Clown isopod
The clown isopod is also known as a Montenegro isopod. They have rows of yellow and white spots on their backs, and the edges of their shells are reddish. These are also fairly large isopods around 2 centimeters in size.
Ghost isopod
Ghost isopods are white albinos with so little pigmentation that they appear translucent and are fluorescent under UV lights. These isopods are slightly smaller than the rubber duckies and clowns.
Porcellio hoffmannseggi
The Porcellio hoffmannseggi isopods do not have a common name. They are quite noticeable isopods, though. The feature you’ll notice right away is that they are the biggest isopod on this list, growing up to 4 centimeters.
Porcellio hoffmannseggi isopods have a darker body with light coloring around the edges. You’ll also notice that they have quite long tails compared to other species of isopods.
You may be surprised to know that there are hundreds of different breeds of isopods available. Check out The Tye-Dyed Iguana in Fairview Heights to see which kinds we are currently carrying.
