Isopoda sp. “Picopod”
Starter culture with enclosure (~100 mixed): $70 (Contact for availability)
Detailed Species Stats -Click-
Around 2017 isopod enthusiast Anthony Molnar discovered some random isopods in one of his vivaria. These were no ordinary isopods; they were ridiculously tiny, less than 2 millimeters when fully grown and extremely secretive. It’s a miracle he even spotted them at all! Due to their extremely tiny size, he dubbed them “picopods”. Their origins unknown, he sent a few to me for rearing. As sometimes happens with obscure and odd species, the original culture was lost, but I have kept a colony going since then and feel I have refined their husbandry. This mysterious species seems to do best with good ventilation and damp to moist substrate. It can be difficult to gauge how the colony is doing for a good while after starting it, as they are only discernible from random substrate particles at high densities or when they gather beneath pieces of food. Though I’m unsure of any practical use for them, it is cool to see that an isopod this microscopic is capable of curling into a ball!