As insects are few and far between now that we’re in the middle of winter, when I noticed this woodlouse on a house wall, I took a few photos, thinking anything’s better than nothing (though, of course, a woodlouse is not actually an insect, it’s a terrestrial crustacean). Now I’m very glad I did get some images as this was actually a new species for me – though, as it’s meant to be common, I do wonder whether I’ve seen it before and ignored it. My bad, as they say.

This is a Common rough woodlouse (or just Rough woodlouse). Its scientific name is Porcellio scaber, which roughly translates as rough or scabby little pig, hence the title of this blog. Hopefully you can see the tiny tubercles (a fancy name for bumps) that makes its exoskeleton look rough, hence its name. As well as living in cracks and crevices on walls, fences and trees, it can also be found in the same places you see most woodlice, i.e. in the garden under logs and stones and bark.