Description

Latin name: Armadillidium maculatum
Common name: Zebra Isopods
Size: 1-1.8 cm
Origin: Southern France

This species is in the genus Armadillidium, one of my personal favourite genuses of isopods. This genus, along with this specific species, can in fact roll into small balls when they feel threatened! A super cool behaviour to observe.

However, Armadillidium maculatum tends to either run away, or roll into a ball when scared. Other species in the genus of Armadillidium prefer the ball tactic. This is one of the reasons why I really like Armadillidium maculatum. Because they don't go into ball-mode the second they get scared, they are much more friendly and easy to observe when they stroll around.

This species has stunning patterns and is a great starter to novice species. If you feel ready to start with some more eye-catching isopod species, this is the perfect species for you.

Care:
Humidity: 40-70% Best results with a strong gradient in the setup.
Food: Red fish food flakes, Zucchini, Spinach, Mango, Apple, Carrots etc. Dead wood, leaves, moss, cuttlebone.
Housing: Minimum recommended size of a successful setup 20x25cm.
Minimum recommended soil depth 6cm.
(Deeper soils and larger areas is always better)
Ground foliage: Dead, rotten wood mixed with Bark and leaves.

Difficulty: Easy
Reproduce very easily if the conditions are right. They are however a bit hard, in my experience, to get going in the beginning.