Scientific name
Porcellio flavomarginatus
Other names: Porcellio flavomarginatus
Porcellio flavomarginatus Lucas, 1853 shows considerable morphological variation. The study of Crete by Schmalfuss, Paragamian and Sfenthourakis shows why a colour difference is insufficient to delimit a species. [1]
Origin
The 2004 study documents the whole of Crete and Gávdos; it places the wider range in the central and southern Aegean islands and in south-western Asia Minor, around Marmaris. [1]
- Aegean region
- Affinity for limestone
- Variable patterns
Morphology, distribution and affinity for limestone from the 2004 Cretan study; practices and difficulties attributed to keepers. No invented lifespan or fecundity figures.
At a glance
A variable species documented in Crete and the Aegean; a difference in coloration is insufficient to delimit a taxon [1].
| DOCUMENTED SIZE | Less than 20 mm Insektenliebe; approximately 20 mm at Royal-Isopods [2][3]. |
|---|---|
| LIFESPAN | To be documented No supported individual lifespan in the selected sources. |
| LIFESTYLE | Calcareous substrates Natural association described in the Cretan study [1]. |
Adult size
Under 20 mm in Insektenliebe’s profile; Royal-Isopods gives up to approximately 20 mm. These are commercial descriptions, not a maximum established across the entire natural range. [2][3]
Lifespan
No reliable individual lifespan retained from the sources actually consulted.
Lifestyle
The ecological overview in the Cretan study associates this species with calcareous substrates. This field observation alone does not constitute a captive soil recipe. [1]
Housing
SETUP AND SHELTERS
Refuge and ventilation — A predominantly less-moist area and a moist refuge beneath moss or bark, with ventilation according to the keepers [2][3].
Insektenliebe recommends a predominantly dry area and a moist refuge beneath moss or bark. Royal-Isopods also emphasises ventilation. These indications concern their keeping practices. [2][3]
Care parameters
BREEDER REFERENCE
22–25 °C — Insektenliebe reference point, not an experimental optimum [2].
Humidity
Localised shelter — Moist area beneath moss or bark in Insektenliebe’s practice [2].
Temperature
22–25 °C at Insektenliebe [2] Commercial profile values; neither an experimental optimum nor demonstrated survival thresholds.
Humidity
Localised moist refuge [2] No universal air humidity inferred from the proportion of moistened substrate.
Feeding
DIET AND CALCIUM
Insektenliebe lists leaves, bark, vegetables and woodlouse foods. No species-specific nutritional dosage is established here [2].
Scope of this profile
Morphology, distribution and affinity for limestone from the 2004 Cretan study; practices and difficulties attributed to keepers. No invented lifespan or fecundity figures.
Colours, altitude and identification
The authors of the Cretan study describe darker specimens at higher altitude, with smoother dorsal plates. They leave the interpretation of this difference open: adaptation to the environment or a taxonomic separation requiring further study. [1] A colourful photograph or a sales name therefore does not resolve this question.
Understanding former names
The study discusses Porcellio creticus and P. decorus in the synonymy history of P. flavomarginatus. [1] When a strain is sold with the additional label “Crete”, retain that wording as reported provenance information; it does not, by itself, provide an independent identification or proof of geographical origin.
Leaves and supplementary foods
Insektenliebe lists leaves, bark, vegetables and woodlouse foods. [2] The calcareous nature of natural sites does not mean the colony can live on stones alone. A geological indication and a food list describe two distinct aspects of the environment; no nutritional dosage is established here.
An animal sometimes visible during the day
Insektenliebe reports daytime activity and greater visibility during feeding; Royal-Isopods also observes animals outside their shelters during the day. [2][3] These captive observations do not justify removing shelters to make the colony more visible.
A difficulty on which keepers disagree
Insektenliebe presents breeding as achievable, whereas Royal-Isopods recounts repeated failures to establish colonies and difficult acclimatisation. [2][3] This discrepancy is retained: no promise of a rapidly productive colony is defensible on this basis. Provenance and previous conditions are worth asking about before purchase; neither a maturation timetable nor a guaranteed number of juveniles is retained.
French references: Porcellio flavomarginatus
Reference found in the following French catalogues: Isopodshop [4]. Catalogue presence, including out-of-stock listings, does not measure sales.
Isopodshop suggests 20-26 °C for husbandry. This is a commercial reference, not a demonstrated safe range. [4]
These sellers’ figures remain separately attributed: combining them does not create a newly validated husbandry range.
Checklist
- Keep the exact provenance label.
- Maintain a moist refuge with good ventilation.
- Do not equate a colour variant with a species.
Observations to record
- Humid shelter condition
- Food consumed
- Colony stability
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Sources
Document-based overview; not a substitute for veterinary advice.
- Schmalfuss, Paragamian & Sfenthourakis (2004) — The terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) of Crete and the surrounding islands
Source accessed - Insektenliebe — Porcellio flavomarginatus, fiche commerciale de maintien
Source accessed - Royal-Isopods — compte rendu Porcellio flavomarginatus
Source accessed - Porcellio flavomarginatus — Isopodshop
Source accessed - World Marine, Freshwater and Terrestrial Isopod Crustaceans database — Porcellio flavomarginatus
Source accessed