1/3/2022: A colorful start to the New Year with Rainbow project isopods

With the new isopod enclosures nearing completion, I’m eagerly looking forward to a care-free and low-maintenance isopod experience this year. Among the many projects finally coming to fruition is one I’ve been calling Rainbow, though I may change this in the future if a more suitable name comes along.

Meticulous crossing of the yellow calico Porcellio scaber “Stardust” and the “Lava” locality provided an excellent palette to work with for new strains. Female “Stardust” range from gray-yellow to intensely yellow, and these genetics were indispensable for bringing these non-existent tones to the already very colorful “Lava”. The result after 3 generations of best-to-best crossing are perhaps the most unique and gorgeous scaber to date; a delightful sprinkling of blue-gray and orange on a pleasant yellow backdrop.

I’m undecided which direction I’d like to take this project. It seems males can be either red calicoes or similar to the aforementioned female coloration. As a colony, dimorphic sexes would add to the visual appeal. For future projects and consistency’s sake, having the males and females identical is preferable. I’ll debate this in my head before the next generation of selections start, but I’d love to hear some inputs on this exciting and dynamic project!

-Kyle