Common Rough Woodlouse

The common rough woodlouse (Porcellio scaber) is a terrestrial crustacean of the family Porcellionidae with an oval body up to 20 millimeters long, usually grey and paler underneath, its segmented upper exoskeleton covered in small tubercles; it has two pairs of antennae, one pair very small, two compound eyes, seven pairs of legs, six abdominal segments, and two whitish pseudo-lungs connected to the outside air by pores. It is originally from central and western Europe and is now found across North America, South Africa, Australia, and sub-Antarctic Marion Island, living in damp habitats and seeking small, narrow spaces to reduce water loss. It is a detritivore, feeding mainly on decaying leaf litter and other rotting plant matter, preferring the bacteria and fungi that cause the decay. Females carry 25 to 90 eggs for 40 to 50 days, young reach reproductive maturity in about three months, and adults live around two years.