Scientific name
Armadillo officinalis
This member of the Armadillidae has a stridulatory apparatus studied even in juveniles. It is an interesting subject for behavioural observation, provided its defensive response is not provoked. [1][2]
Origin
Mediterranean Basin and western Black Sea coasts, in Montesanto’s synthesis. [1]
- Mediterranean
- Conglobation
- Nocturnal activity
Documentary synthesis: natural-history data and husbandry limits distinguished.
At a glance
This Mediterranean woodlouse can stridulate when it rolls into a ball. Studies also document its response to vibrations. [1][2]
| ADULT SIZE | 18–20 mm Bog Beafts commercial reference, without a morphometric series. [3] |
|---|---|
| LIFESPAN | Not established No supported individual lifespan in the selected sources. |
| LIFESTYLE | Mainly nocturnal Ground shelters; stridulation while rolled up. [1][2] |
Adult size
18–20 mm in the Bog Beafts breeding guide; a commercial indication not drawn from a published morphometric series. [3]
Lifespan
Individual lifespan is not established by the sources consulted; a colony’s persistence does not measure its founders’ ages.
Lifestyle
A mainly nocturnal animal, found in dry environments but using ground shelters; it can stridulate once rolled up. [1][2]
Housing
ATTRIBUTED BREEDING PRACTICE
Loose ground and shelters — Bog Beafts uses 6–7 cm of substrate; a commercial example, not a demonstrated minimum. [3]
Loose ground and shelters allow animals to be monitored without grasping them; Bog Beafts describes 6–7 cm of substrate for its breeding practice. This figure is not an experimental minimum. [3]
Care parameters
DEVELOPMENTAL STUDY
20 °C — Experimental condition; neither optimum nor thermal limits. [1]
Humidity
Moistened substrate — Periodically moistened support in the study; no air percentage prescribed. [1]
Temperature
20 °C in a developmental study [1] Experimental breeding context; this point defines neither an optimum nor thermal limits.
Humidity
No air percentage adopted Distinguish the substrate’s moisture reserve from better-aerated areas; record observations rather than targeting an undocumented figure.
Feeding
DIET AND CALCIUM
Plane-tree leaves and potato in the study [1]; calcium cited by the breeder [3]. These indications do not constitute a nutritional comparison.
Scope of this profile
Documentary synthesis: natural-history data and husbandry limits distinguished.
Recognising and observing
Do not confuse the genus name Armadillo with Armadillidium. The notable character studied here is a row of scales on certain legs, used when the body is closed. The sound is therefore not an activity to obtain through repeated handling. [1][2]
Maze trials show movement away from the vibration source. The authors discuss a defensive and warning function without making it a universal explanation. For home observation, place the enclosure on a stable support and record spontaneous movement separately from escape after opening. [2]
Ground, leaves and calcium
Keep leaves and shelters accessible without turning over the whole environment. Bog Beafts mentions a calcium addition. [3] The developmental study used plane-tree leaves and pieces of potato: this describes an experimental diet, not a nutritional comparison demonstrating the superiority of these two foods. [1] Record foods actually eaten and remove any portion that deteriorates before consumption.
Humidity and air exchange
The expression ‘dry environment’ does not mean completely desiccated substrate. The females studied were placed on a periodically moistened support. [1] A cautious interpretation is to document where animals gather after water is added and how ventilation changes that gathering. Condensation alone does not describe the full substrate depth.
Reproduction and young
Montesanto observed several manca stages and substantial variation in the number of young between females. [1] This diversity rules out promising a fixed output per brood. If a birth is seen, record the date, approximate size of the young and current conditions, then limit disturbance. Do not isolate or handle a female solely to check her reproductive status.
Monitoring and limitations
Priority monitoring combines substrate condition, visible appetite, activity and observed moults. A missed observation remains missing data, not demonstrated mortality. Work on vibrations and development validates neither captive lifespan, stocking density nor a complete home protocol. This profile must therefore remain a documentary reference before any adaptation to a specific strain.
Checklist
- Photograph without provoking rolling.
- Identify the moistened area.
- Identify the strain separately.
Observations to record
- Spontaneous activity and disturbances
- Water additions and ground condition
- Feeding, moults, young
The app provides individual animal records. Check which features are available for your animal in the released version.
Sources
Document-based overview; not a substitute for veterinary advice.
- Montesanto (2018) — Presence of a stridulatory apparatus in the manca stages of isopods
Source accessed - Are terrestrial isopods able to use stridulation and vibrational communication as forms of intra and interspecific signaling and defense strategies as insects do? A preliminary study in Armadillo officinalis
Source accessed - Bog Beafts — Care guide, Armadillo officinalis
Source accessed