Isopodium News: Babies

Just some isobabes. Armadillidium maculatum "chocolate zebra" and Porcellionides pruinosus "oreo crumble." They are two of the three different species that I currently have. I will have to have mum try to get another picture of the Porcellio laevis "dairy cows" soon. The chocolate zebras look black in white in this photograph, but they really are chocolatey brown in colour.

Both the dairy cows and the oreo crumbles have had at least one batch of mancae. Mancae is the plural word for baby isopods and for one you use manca. After fertilisation, they live in a brood pouch on the underside of their parent where they become fully developed little isopods. Then after about 40-50 days, the parent isopod gives live birth to their little babies. Some species only have babies once a year, but some can have several batches of babies. They are so very tiny and practically impossible to photograph until they are a bit bigger. I will do my best to get pictures of the mancae soon. 

[Two pics of two different isopod species on cork tree bark]