Orange Isopods in Wild-Caught Culture

[satchellwk]

Hello, I began an isopod culture about 4-5 months ago, and I've found something intriguing. Out of the approx. 200-300 individuals, about ten percent show signs of the orange color morph. Most interestingly of all, the beginning culture was 100% wild caught, and this is only the first generation to be born in captivity. It was my understanding that the orange morph was fairly rare, and I would have assumed that a specific morph like that would be pretty localized; however, since I doubt the original oranges we have in the hobby were collected in west-central Alabama, this makes me think that the morph might be pretty widespread. Has anyone else found the orange morph in their WC isopods? Also, does anyone know specifically where the orange stock in culture began?
Here are some pics of mine:

(note: these are only the individuals that I was able to find by flipping cover on the surface of my 5-inch deep substrate 10-gallon terrarium; I believe there to be many more in there)

 

[Bugs In Cyberspace]

Good post! You're talking interesting numbers and statistics here, but we're missing some data that would make this even more interesting. How many individuals did you start your culture with, and did you notice any orange ones in the original population?

I find specimens in the wilds of my backyard that are slightly orange, from time to time. I've isolated them at times. I currently have one culture with descent from fairly orange WC specimens. It throws individuals that I'd describe as peach colored, rather than orange, but still throws some straight grays too. I am surprised to see the purity and brightness of your orange specimens, however, especially after what I assume (by the time involved) must be your first captive generation of offspring. It is more common, in my experience, to see the mixed grayish-orange specimens for several generations.

You can be fairly sure that you will have a nice, bright orange culture if you continually isolate the brightest specimens. You might even get something new!

It is pretty safe to assume, and I'm sure it is documented out there somewhere, that the orange morph occurs in degrees in all US/cosmopolitan populations of the species (Porcellio scaber). What I especially like about isopods is that the morphs breed truer and truer after several generations, to the point where I like to think of them as breeds. After all, domestic dogs are all the same species and will breed true, and/or can crossbred. Of course, isopods are much more interesting to work with because they are easier to care for and have shorter generations. On an off-topic note, I just got done reading a really terrible article in my city's local paper, about what to get dogs for Christmas. This dog lover mentioned such topics as getting one's face bitten off. How morbid is the dog hobby, when a rescue outfit can recommend not putting your face too close to big dogs and then discuss what to get Fido (yes, they name their pets) for Christmas in the same sentence? Chew toys of squirrels they recommended, among other toys that get their faces bitten off.

Then again, our Porcellio pets don't exactly belong, roaming leashless in the US either. There's no getting rid of either animal at this point, I guess. I know which one I think makes a better pet!

 

[ZephAmp]

I wonder if those are P. scaber. Trachelipus rathkii is a similar species that I have seen numerous orange calico and faded orange individuals of in the wild (they tend to outnumber the "normal" individuals) but I've only ever found one orange P. scaber. In one species, Philoscia muscorum, approximately 30% of the individuals I find are a bright, highlighter-like yellow. It may just be certain populations of certain species that favor these "abnormal" colors but the power of population isolation shouldn't be disregarded.
Perhaps the species you found is Porcellionides pruinosus, which generally has grey individuals with a blue-ish sheen to them.

 

[Embers To Ashes]

The exact same thing is happining in my enclosures. I started off with 12 wild caught individuals. Now I have hundreds and some are turning ourange. I resently whent outside and found a very ourange one. I put him in the container I had the other half of the collony in. Within three days the collony I had introduced him to was dead. The other half where fine.

 

[MrCrackerpants]

I have had similar experiences. I would add that I have noticed in one of my millipede enclosures a few bright orange isopods. They came from San Antonio Texas and were collected behind the church my sister-in-law was married in. These are the types of things I do when I get bored at weddings.

 

[Malhavoc's]

What kind of foods are they given?
any idea if its the virus that removes pigment, idro virus was it?

also what temps are they being kept in?

it could be our husbandry that is creating a larger % of orange variants.

 

[xhexdx]

I caught some isopods the other day and noticed there were a couple that seemed a bit on the orange side.

When I get home I'll upload a pic.

 

[satchellwk]

Thanks for all the input, These are some very interesting hypotheses.

Bugs In Cyberspace
Good post! You're talking interesting numbers and statistics here, but we're missing some data that would make this even more interesting. How many individuals did you start your culture with, and did you notice any orange ones in the original population?
I find specimens in the wilds of my backyard that are slightly orange, from time to time. I've isolated them at times. I currently have one culture with descent from fairly orange WC specimens. It throws individuals that I'd describe as peach colored, rather than orange, but still throws some straight grays too. I am surprised to see the purity and brightness of your orange specimens, however, especially after what I assume (by the time involved) must be your first captive generation of offspring. It is more common, in my experience, to see the mixed grayish-orange specimens for several generations.
You can be fairly sure that you will have a nice, bright orange culture if you continually isolate the brightest specimens. You might even get something new!

Unfortunately, I have not exact numbers on the starter group, but I would say it was anywhere from 20 to 40 individuals. Also, I do not recall seeing any orange specimens during collection.
I'm definitely going to continue isolating the orange specimens and seeing if I can get the purest orange. I;m starting to think isopods might be the best pet ever; they'll eat anything, they live relatively long (for inverts at least), they breed fast, they are easy to find anywhere, and don't need anything bigger than a deli cup to live in.

ZephAmp
I wonder if those are P. scaber. Trachelipus rathkii is a similar species that I have seen numerous orange calico and faded orange individuals of in the wild (they tend to outnumber the "normal" individuals) but I've only ever found one orange P. scaber. In one species, Philoscia muscorum, approximately 30% of the individuals I find are a bright, highlighter-like yellow. It may just be certain populations of certain species that favor these "abnormal" colors but the power of population isolation shouldn't be disregarded.
Perhaps the species you found is Porcellionides pruinosus, which generally has grey individuals with a blue-ish sheen to them.

Interesting, I honestly would have no idea on how to distinguish between multiple spices of woodlouse, unless there was some sort of reference chart or something. I am intrigued by this highlighter yellow species, would it be possible for you to post pics?

Embers To Ashes
The exact same thing is happining in my enclosures. I started off with 12 wild caught individuals. Now I have hundreds and some are turning ourange. I resently whent outside and found a very ourange one. I put him in the container I had the other half of the collony in. Within three days the collony I had introduced him to was dead. The other half where fine.

Sorry to hear about that, I guess this is just further proof that one should always be caution when introducing new WC specimens to an established colony of anything.

MrCrackerpants
I have had similar experiences. I would add that I have noticed in one of my millipede enclosures a few bright orange isopods. They came from San Antonio Texas and were collected behind the church my sister-in-law was married in. These are the types of things I do when I get bored at weddings.

You're not the only one; I once found a really nice N. americanus at my aunt's wedding.

Malhavoc's
What kind of foods are they given?
any idea if its the virus that removes pigment, idro virus was it?
also what temps are they being kept in?
it could be our husbandry that is creating a larger % of orange variants.

Could you elaborate on this pigment removing virus, I'm rather intrigued and I don't belive I've ever heard of it before. As for food, they get whatever I throw in there, which could be anything from carrots (don't think they're absorbing the pigment), apples, romaine lettuce, dog food, fish flakes, and a constant supply of rotting oak wood, oak leaves, and aspen shavings. They're being kept at room temp, so it hovers in the low to mid 70's. I think that husbandry has a big part in it, but only because nothing (well in my case almost nothing, I have a few v. carolinianus scorpions in the terrarium, rather fat ones I might add) is killing and eating them, allowing those that would normally be consumed because of out-of-the-ordinary pigment to survive and reproduce.

 

[ZephAmp]

Here's a link to an isopod ID thread I started a while ago:
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/sho...ID-thread-for-all-those-woodlouse-keepers!-P)
There are some individuals there that resemble the highlighter yellow ones but I'll have to wait til spring to find some better examples. P. pruinosus isn't pictured there but they generally have a metallic blue sheen to them, though I'm fairly convinced they're what you have.

 

[zonbonzovi]

satch, search for the 'iridovirus' thread. There is, I believe, a link that describes iridovirus well plus a ton of interesting user pics of different 'pods.

My culture was collected from my front yard a few years back where there is a good percentage(30% give or take) of orange mottled specimens. Curiously, I haven't had one show up in the CB tank.

 

[bshoblo]

I haven't read the whole thread so I apologise if this has been already said. Any isopods that you find with the Iridovirus will likely be very blue/purple.

One interesting observation I have is that after keeping a culture for 2+ years, that they became very agressive/cannibolistic. I believe that isopod need a certain amount a protein in there diet and it maybe benificial to feed animal based foods to cultures from time to time.

 

[Malhavoc's]

Sadly, my knowledge of the virus is lacking, my only input is that it effects Wood lice especialy giving us some fantasticly coloured ones - brightly coloured or lack there of. Though in my case its usualy a light blue. You often see it effecting crayfish sold as blue crayfish in pet stores. heres a wiki link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridoviridae

 

[satchellwk]

Thanks for the links / advice
I looked at those isopod threads, and I must say, some of those look amazing, especially the iridovirus. One thing I'm still wondering is how deadly/ harmful the virus is to the infected individual. I personally had an infected crawfish for years, so I wonder how stable isopods with the virus would be.

Also, about the protein, they get plenty; any dead crickets get tossed in there.

 

[ZephAmp]

There's a rumor that though the virus will kill isopod hosts that are the "normal" color, when orange individuals are infected with it they will turn a pleasing purple color, live, and pass it on to their offspring. Unfortunately the virus does not appear to affect its hosts if they consume the body of a dead comrade that had the virus, rather, they must be injected with a ground up solution of the deceased individual for the virus to infiltrate them.

 

[Haitham omar]

yes I caught the same by chance wild orange from my roof where i have a small birds farm and I kept them but they died i gathered again blue ones and I found after they breeded lots came out orange

 

[MrGhostMantis]

yes I caught the same by chance wild orange from my roof where i have a small birds farm and I kept them but they died i gathered again blue ones and I found after they breeded lots came out orange

Old thread.