Rough Isopod - Roach Crossing

Porcellio scaber

Cultivar name: “Piebald”

15 mixed: $40
50 mixed: $100
100 mixed: $160

Detailed Species Stats -Click-

Adult Size: 18 mm.
Care Level: Easy.
Temperature Requirements: 68-85 degrees Fahrenheit.
Air Humidity: Not picky.
Substrate Humidity: Moist.
Favorite Foods: Not picky.
Locality: Oswego, New York, United States.

Isolated by Valerie O’Neil and refined by Roach Crossing.

“Piebald” began as a few individuals collected by Val on the side of her barn in late 2016. Voucher individuals were sent to Roach Crossing, and before long offspring were produced. Intriguingly, “Piebald” babies do not show the characteristic markings for the first few instars. This lead to some initial disappointment, until the offspring had a chance to grow and the best expression individuals could be selected. Heritability for “Piebald” is inconsistent, but appears to gradually improve with enough selective pressure. Roach Crossing’s stock has been ruthlessly selected for high expression, and 90% of full-grown individuals have over 80% pied coverage. As a side effect of these efforts, calicoes of any sort, which were endemic to the strain and tended to express less consistently, are extremely rare.

Please see the Porcellio scaber page for additional information.