Woodlouse: Porcellio spinicornis

02 Thursday Feb 2023

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British woodlice, Common striped woodlouse, Philoscia muscorum, Porcellio spinicornis, woodlice, woodlouse

I’ve been leaf diving again, just ten minutes spent picking up and thoroughly examining soggy Sycamore leaves during one of my local walks.

230202 Porcellio spinicornis

So well camouflaged was it that I almost missed this little mini-beastie, which I initially thought was a Common striped woodlouse (Philoscia muscorum) but, on closer inspection of its antennae, I now think must be Porcellio spinicornis. According to the Naturespot website, the distinguishing characteristic is the number of flagellal segments at the tip of the antennae: Porcellio spinicornis has two, while Philoscia muscorum has three. If I’d known this at the time, I would’ve taken better close-ups but I’ve tried to illustrate the differences below.

230202 woodlouse antennae

Moult

15 Tuesday Feb 2022

Posted by sconzani in nature

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British crustaceans, moult, moulting woodlouse, slater, woodlouse

Moult (US molt): noun and verb; (of an animal) shed old feathers, hair, or skin to make way for new growth; origin: Middle English moute, from an Old English verb based on Latin mutare ‘to change’ (Oxford Dictionary).

220215 moulting

Today’s word is inspired by this moulting Woodlouse I found in nearby woodland last week.

Alfred’s cakes

26 Friday Mar 2021

Posted by sconzani in fungi, insects

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British fungi, British insects, Daldinia concentrica, King Alfred's Cakes, springtail, woodlouse

King Alfred’s been back in the kitchen but a Great British Bake Off winner he is not. His cakes, otherwise known as Daldinia concentrica, even when you can peek inside their blackened exteriors, never look palatable. With these I found in the woods this week though, Alfred has certainly produced some creative shapes.

And, even if inedible, they are sturdy enough to provide a home to tiny creatures, in this case a woodlouse and a springtail.

7/365 Wildly waving woodlouse

07 Monday Jan 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, nature

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#365DaysWild, slater, waving woodlouse, woodlouse

Donning my wet-weather gear against the un-forecast rain, I headed out early afternoon for a bimble around my local parks. I’d taken a few photos of rain drops on mosses, which would have served well enough for today’s post, but then noticed this large, handsome and well-armoured woodlouse sheltering in a niche. And, when it waved obligingly at me, that clinched my choice.

190107 woodlouse

Death on the windowsill

27 Saturday Oct 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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British insects, dead insects, dead insects on the windowsill, dead slater, dead wasp, dead woodlouse, slater, wasp, woodlouse

I don’t know about you but, except on the very coldest of days, I like to have my windows open, at least for a short time each day, to let some fresh air into the house. Trouble is the little critters seem to sense that it’s warmer indoors than out and, if I don’t notice their presence, they don’t manage to escape with their lives. This morning I found two casualties, a Slater and a Wasp.

181025 dead slater 181025 dead wasp

Slater, woodlouse or chiggy pig?

10 Sunday Jan 2016

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature, nature photography

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cemetery, crustaceans, insects, slater, woodlouse

As I was walking through my local cemetery today, I spotted a very thick, very wet newspaper lying on a fallen tree and I simply couldn’t resist taking a peek underneath. These are what I found, Common shiny woodlice (Oniscus asellus), one of the 45 (yes, 45!) native or naturalised species of woodlice in Britain.

160110 woodlice (1)

Did you know:

A woodlouse has fourteen jointed limbs, and breathes using lungs in its rear legs.
Although it’s a crustacean (like the oh-so-tasty lobsters and crabs), a woodlouse tastes like strong urine. I wonder who the crazy person was who discovered that interesting fact!
Just like earthworms, woodlice are good for the garden because they produce compost, aerate the soil and help control pests.
Woodlice prefer damp places because they lose a lot of moisture through excretion (plenty of evidence of that to be seen in my photos!).
In New Zealand it’s called a slater; in Reading, England it’s a cheeselog; in Devon it’s a chiggy pig; and in Cornwall it goes by the name of gramersow. Do you have a special name for this little critter? Let me know in the comments below.

160110 woodlice (2)