Pillbug Anatomy

Unlike members of other woodlouse 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. Familiar crustaceans include lobsters crabs shrimp and daphnia water fleas.

Pillbugs

These next 6 body segments are referred to as.

Pillbug anatomy. They are an abundant food source for insects and arachnids. The pill bug also called the wood louse and the roly poly bug is a small segmented land creature that can roll into a tiny ball for protection. Pillbugs also known as sowbugs or woodlice are familiar backyard creepy crawlies to most of us.

The common pillbug is a harmless and delightful way to introduce children to the world of insects and though it goes by many different names insect isnt one of them. Seven of the main body segments that comprise the pill bugs thorax each have one pair of walking or locomotion legs that are used primarily for mobility. Classified as terrestrial isopods and belong to the class crustacea.

The pill bugs head segment contains the antennae. The pill bug is not an insect but is an isopod another type of arthropod. The pill bug has a total of 13 other sections called body segments.

Pillbugs are considered primitive creatures but they have an important role in the soil ecosystem. Armadillidiidae is a family of woodlice a terrestrial crustacean group in the order isopoda. The pillbug armadillidium vulgare latreille is an isopod a type of non insect arthropod also known as a terrestrial crustacean.

It is sometimes called a roly poly due to its ability to roll into ball when disturbed figure 1.

Pillbugs And Sowbugs Land Isopods Mdc Discover Nature