Armadillidiidae

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Armadillidiidae
Temporal range: Chattian-recent
Woodlouse poster.jpg
An Armadillidium granulatum in various stages of conglobation, i.e., "rolling up"
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Superorder: Peracarida
Order: Isopoda
Suborder: Oniscidea
Section: Crinocheta
Family: Armadillidiidae
Brandt, 1833
Genera

See text

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 [1] or roly polies. [2] Other common names include slaters, potato bugs, butchy boys, [3] and doodle bugs. [4] 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. [5]

Contents

Common names

NameRegion
Pill bugGlobal
Rollie Pollie, Roly PolyUSA, [6] Canada
Roll-up bugUSA [6]
WoodlouseUK, Australia, USA [6]
Slater BugsAustralia
Cheesy bugUK (parts of)
Sowbug, Sow bugUSA [6]
Doodlebug, Doodle bugUSA [6]
SlaterAustralia, New Zealand, Scotland (North-East), Ireland (Ulster)
Butcher boyAustralia
Cellar BugsGermany
CarpenterCanada, USA (certain regions)
bed pisser PissebedNetherlands / Belgium
Possibly "closed pork" Cloporte Francophone regions
Parsons PigUK
Bench bitersDenmark
Chiggy pigUK (Devon)
Chuckie pigUSA (South)
Little pig ChanchitoSouth America (certain countries)
Potato bugUK, Canada, USA [6]
GramersowUK (Cornwall)
Basketball bugUSA [6]
Twiddle bugUSA [6]
MillipedeUSA [6]
CentipedeUSA [6]

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), [7] armadillos, and cuckoo wasps. [8] 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. [9] 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 will 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. [10] They will also eat shed snakeskin and dead bugs, if necessary. This diet has a secondary effect of decelerating 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.

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 huge agricultural problems in Southern Australia. Farmers in the United States and in 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.

Pill bug on wood mulch Armadillidiidae - Pill Bug - Roly Poly - Grant Peier.jpg
Pill bug on wood mulch

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. [11]

Within the family Armadillidiidae, 15 genera are currently recognized: [12]

A 2022 study of myrmecophilous populations indicated that these represented a new species of Cristarmadillidium , and three new species within a new genus, Iberiarmadillidium . [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Armadillidium</i> Genus of woodlice

Armadillidium is a genus of the small terrestrial crustacean known as the woodlouse. Armadillidium are also commonly known as pill woodlice, leg pebbles, pill bugs, roly-poly, or potato bugs, and are often confused with pill millipedes such as Glomeris marginata. They are characterised by their ability to roll into a ball ("volvation") when disturbed.

<i>Armadillidium vulgare</i> Species of woodlouse

Armadillidium vulgare, the common pill-bug, potato bug, common pill woodlouse, roly-poly, slater, doodle bug, or carpenter, is a widespread European species of woodlouse. It is the most extensively investigated terrestrial isopod species. It is native to Mediterranean Europe but has accompanied humans throughout their travels and now are found, naturalized in almost all suitable ecosystems. They are kept as pets by hobbyists for their wide range of possible color variations.

<i>Styloniscus</i> Genus of woodlice

Styloniscus is a genus of woodlice in the family Styloniscidae. It contains the following species as of 2010:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodlouse</span> Crustacean from the polyphyletic suborder Oniscidea

A woodlouse is any crustacean belonging to the suborder Oniscidea within the order Isopoda. They get their name from often being found in old wood, and from louse, a parasitic insect, although woodlice are neither parasitic nor insects.

<i>Hemilepistus reaumuri</i> Species of woodlouse

Hemilepistus reaumuri is a species of woodlouse that lives in and around the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East, "the driest habitat conquered by any species of crustacean". It reaches a length of 22 mm (0.87 in) and a width of up to 12 mm (0.47 in), and has seven pairs of legs which hold its body unusually high off the ground. The species was described in the Description de l'Égypte after the French Campaign in Egypt and Syria of 1798–1801, but was first formally named by Henri Milne-Edwards in 1840 as Porcellio reaumuri. It reached its current scientific name in 1930 after the former subgenus Hemilepistus was raised to the rank of genus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Platyarthridae</span> Family of woodlice

Platyarthridae is a family of woodlice, containing the following genera:

<i>Trachelipus</i> Genus of woodlice

Trachelipus is a genus of woodlice in the family Trachelipodidae, containing the following species:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armadillidae</span> Family of woodlice

Armadillidae is a family of woodlice, comprising around 80 genera and 700 species. It is the largest family of Oniscidea, and one of the most species-rich families of the entire Isopoda. Most of the armadillidae taxa are not monophyletic. Armadillids generally have a strongly convex body shape, with some rather shallowly convex. Like members of the woodlice family Armadillidiidae, armadillids are capable of enrolling into a sphere (conglobation), and are commonly known as pill bugs. Some species, however, have secondarily lost their conglobation ability. For example, a species exist in which the males lack the inner face of the coxal plates and are therefore unable to conglobate. Armadillids differ from the Armadillidiidae in that the antennae are fully enclosed within the sphere.

<i>Armadillidium depressum</i> Species of woodlouse

Armadillidium depressum, the southern pill woodlouse is a large, relatively common British species of woodlouse characterized by its "splayed" appearance.

<i>Armadillidium nasatum</i> Species of woodlouse

Armadillidium nasatum, the nosy pill woodlouse, is a large, Western European-based species of woodlouse that has been introduced to North America, along with Armadillidium vulgare also found in other parts of Europe.

Scleropactidae is a family of woodlice, with a predominantly Gondwanan distribution. It contains the following genera:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volvation</span> Defensive reaction

Volvation, is a defensive behavior in certain animals, in which the animal rolls its own body into a ball, presenting only the hardest parts of its integument, or its spines to predators.

<i>Armadillidium atticum</i> Species of crustacean

Armadillidium atticum is a European species of woodlouse endemic to Greece. It is a relatively small species and belongs to the so called "Armadillidium insulanum complex".

<i>Armadillidium sfenthourakisi</i> Species of crustacean

Armadillidium sfenthourakisi is a European species of woodlouse endemic to Greece.

<i>Armadillidium maniatum</i> Species of crustacean

Armadillidium maniatum is a European species of woodlouse endemic to Greece.

<i>Paxodillidium</i> Species of crustacean

Paxodillidium is a genus of woodlice endemic to Greece. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species Paxodillidium schawalleri. Its true affinities within the family Armadillidiidae are not known.

<i>Armadillidium phalacronum</i> Species of crustacean

Armadillidium phalacronum is a European species of woodlouse endemic to Greece. It is a relatively small-sized species that probably belongs to the so-called "Armadillidium insulanum complex".

<i>Armadillidium maculatum</i> Species of woodlouse

Armadillidium maculatum, also known as the zebra isopod or zebra pillbug is an Armadillidium species of woodlouse, named for its black and white patterns. It is native to southern France.

Armadillidium stolikanum is a European species of woodlouse endemic to Greece.

References

  1. ↑ Gordon Gordh & David H. Headrick (2011). "Common pillbug". A Dictionary of Entomology (2nd ed.). CAB International. p. 343. ISBN   9781845935429.
  2. ↑ Franklin, J. A., Byron, M. A., & Gillett-Kaufman, J. L. (2015, August). Armadillidium vulgare. Pillbug - Armadillidium vulgare. Retrieved September 7, 2022, from https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/MISC/Armadillidium_vulgare.htm
  3. ↑ Erica (2013-04-11). "Roly-Poly Slaters". Gardening 4 Kids. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  4. ↑ Kenn Kaufman & Kimberly Kaufman (2012). Kaufman Field Guide to Nature of New England. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 364. ISBN   9780618456970.
  5. ↑ Spyros Sfenthourakis & Hornung Elisabeth (2018). "Isopod Distribution and Climate Change". ZooKeys (801): 25–61. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.801.23533 . PMC   6288265 . PMID   30564031.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Dialect survey, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. C. 2005. Accessed March 27, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Pill millipede (Glomeris marginata)". ARKive. Archived from the original on 2006-06-17. Retrieved June 21, 2007.
  8. ↑ Edward M. Barr (2001). Animal behavior desk reference: a dictionary of animal behavior, ecology, and evolution (2nd ed.). CRC Press. p. 142. ISBN   978-0-8493-2005-7.
  9. ↑ Jacob T. Smigel & Allen G. Gibbs (2008). "Conglobation in the pill bug, Armadillidium vulgare, as a water conservation mechanism". Journal of Insect Science . 8 (44): 1–9. doi:10.1673/031.008.4401. PMC   3127403 . PMID   20233103.
  10. ↑ "What Do Pill Bugs Eat?". Orkin.com. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  11. ↑ P. J. Hayward & John Stanley Ryland (1995). "Crustaceans". Handbook of the marine fauna of north-west Europe. Oxford University Press. pp. 289–461. ISBN   978-0-19-854055-7.
  12. ↑ Marilyn Schotte (2012). Schotte M, Boyko CB, Bruce NL, Poore GC, Taiti S, Wilson GD (eds.). "Armadillidiidae". World Marine, Freshwater and Terrestrial Isopod Crustaceans database. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved September 26, 2012.
  13. ↑ Recuero, Ernesto; Rodríguez-Flores, Paula C.; García-París, Mario (2022). "Homoplasy and morphological stasis revealed through multilocus phylogeny of new myrmecophilous species in Armadillidiidae (Isopoda: Oniscidea)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 194 (4): 1312–1340. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab066.
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