Pillbug

Fig. 1: A trio of pillbugs
 * //Armadillidium// //vulgare//**

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Anthropoda Class: Malacostraca Order: Isopoda Family: Armadillidiidae Genus: Armadillidium Species: //A. vulgare//
 * Taxonomy:**

//A. vulgare//, also known as the **(common) pillbug** in North America and the **(common) woodlouse** in Europe, is a widespread European species of woodlouse. Its native distribution ranges across Europe, especially in the Mediterranean, with the United Kingdom having the greatest concentration in southern and eastern England, but more confined to coastal areas in the north. In Ireland, it is also common to the south and east, but rarer in the north and west [|(1)] (Fig. 1). It has been introduced to many locations in North America, and to a lesser extent, sites worldwide. Fig. 1: //A. vulgare// range across the United Kingdom and Ireland

Pillbugs are best known for their ability to roll into a ball when disturbed. They have a light, shell-like crustaceous exterior, usually a drab Earthy color. In North America, the color ranges from gray to brown, while in Europe, the exterior includes small red dots, giving them the resemblance of black widow spiders, and thus, protection from predators. The pillbug has five abdominal segments which are dorsally distinct, and their first antennae are vestigial. [|(2)]
 * Description:**

Pillbugs are able to regulate their own temperature via behavior--they prefer areas of bright sunshine during times of low temperatures, and areas of shade during times of high temperatures. [|(5)] They prefer to live within tree bark or under soil, so long as it is moist; as they are crustaceans, they need to remain moist to avoid dehydration. Weather has a profound impact on their distribution/behavior/mortality; for example, in California, during the annual rainy season, pillbugs live on or near the surface of the soil, but during drought, will avoid dehydration by burrowing further into soil fissures.( [|6)]

Pillbugs can reproduce sexually, or by parthenogenesis (in which an unfertilized egg develops into a new individual). In either case, the female produces eggs that take three to nine weeks to hatch, resulting in up to twenty-four offspring. The young spend the next three to nine days in the mother's abdominal pouch, and once out of the pouch, molt four or five times at regular intervals until they are sexually mature adults. [|(3)]
 * Life Cycle:**

Pillbugs are preyed upon by frogs, toads, newts, lizards, spiders, and small mammals. Cannibalism is also possible when the young are soft during molting. [|(3)] Pillbugs mostly eat dead plant material, but may also consume deceased animal remains, feces, bacteria, fungi, and living plants. [|(4)]
 * Predators and Prey:**

Pillbugs are soil decomposers, feeding on biogenic residue and waste matter. They fertilize and introduce air to soil, which aids in plant respiration and growth. [|(7)] Their diet of microorganisms comes with a human-related cost, however. Whilst feeding on bacteria and fungi, which can be found on plant roots, pillbugs often cause damage to crops and other plants via root damage. [|(3)] Pesticides and other means of pillbug control have been used within households to maintain garden plants.
 * Ecological Importance and Human Impact:**

"Wiki" page created by S. Weinstein 1. Schmalfuss, Helmut. "World Catalog of Terrestrial Isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea)." //Oniscidea-catalog.naturkundemuseum-bw.de//. Staatliches Museum Für Naturkunde Stuttgart (Germany). Web. 11 Sept. 2013. < [] >.
 * References:**

2. Brown, Courtney J. "Armadillidium Vulgare." //Animal Diversity Web//. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2013. < [] >.

3. Jones, Susan. "Pill Bugs and Sow Bugs." //Pill Bugs and Sow Bugs//. American Orchid Society, n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2013. < [] >.

4. Capinaera, John L. "Pillbugs and Sowbugs, or Woodlice (Isopoda)." //Encyclopedia of Entomology//. 2nd ed. Vol. 4. New York: Springer, 2008. 2890-2892. //Google Books//. Google.com. Web. 11 Sept. 2013. < [|http://books.google.com/books?id=i9ITMiiohVQC&pg=PA2890&dq=Encyclopedia+of+Entomology+pillbugs&hl=en&sa=X&ei=izFMUv63IoXU8wTxuICgCA&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Encyclopedia%20of%20Entomology%20pill%20bugs&f=false] >.

5. Refinetti, Roberto. "Behavioral Temperature Regulation in the Pill Bug, Armadillidium Vulgare (Isopoda)." //Crustaceana// 47.1 (1984): 29-43. //JSTOR//. Web. 11 Sept. 2013. < [] >.

6. Paris, Oscar H. "The Ecology of Armadillidium Vulgare (Isopoda: Oniscoidea) in California Grassland: Food, Enemies, and Weather." //Ecological Monographs// 33.1 (1963): 1-22. //JSTOR//. Web. 11 Sept. 2013. < [] >.

7. "Armadillidium Vulgare." //Archives.evergreen.edu//. Evergreen State College, n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2013. < [] >.

Fig. 1: “Pill Bugs.” Photograph. mywishingrock.blogspot.com 5 May. 2013. 11 Sep. 2013 < [] >.
 * Images:**

Fig. 2: Armadillidium vulgare Range Across the United Kingdom and Ireland. Digital image. //Natural History Museum//. Natural History Museum (London), n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2013. < [] >.