Armadillidiidae(Pill bug)

Aug 28, 2019 • 10:30 AM UTC

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shilpashrees

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Student names : Susmitha.L, Anna, Shilpa
College : CMR National PU college, ITPL
Specimen name: Pill bug
Phylum: Arthropods
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Superorder: Peracarida
Order: Isopoda
Suborder: Oniscidea
Specimen collected from: home
Specimen observed at: CMR National PU College, ITPL, on 28 Aug 2019
I observed a kind of insect which used to roll itself into a ball when touched. Initially I thought it was a worm , since it had a lot of legs. So, I was interested to know what kind of insect was that. As a result I took that insect to college & prepared slides, dissecting it’s each part with the help of my friends observed it under fold scope. Now as I have come to know that it was the pill bug belonging to the family Armadillidiidae, gives a kind of knowledge about those insects which are rarely seen .

Head of pill bug There common names are pill bug , roly polies, slaters, potato bugs. The best known species in the family is Armadillidium vulgare. T hese insects are able to form their bodies into ball shape, in a process known as conglobation. This behavior is shared with pill millipedes, armadillos, and cuckoo wasps. It may be triggered by stimuli such as vibrations or pressure , and is a key defense against predation ; it may also reduce respiratory water losses.

The pill bug

Antennae of pill bug

Metathoracic leg of pill bug

Armadillidiidae(Pill bug)

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