NO. 049
Other arthropods
House centipede
Adults have fifteen pairs of legs
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NO. 048
Illustration · not shown at life size
Illustration · not shown at life sizeOther arthropods / Crustacean
Common pillbug / roly-poly
Armadillidium vulgare
A roly-poly is a crustacean, not an insect! Its hard plates fold into a ball.
A crustacean, and part of our tiny-neighbor collection.
Let’s look closerLittle clues
Three things to notice.
Adults have seven pairs of legs.
Rolls into a ball.
Eats decaying plant material.
Out in the world
Where to look.
Around southeastern Wisconsin
Beneath damp pots and logs.
When to look
Look under damp cover by day. These small crustaceans often wander at night.
Gently lift a fallen leaf or pot with a grownup. Put it back as you found it.
A closer look
One clue is just the start.
A pillbug can curl into a ball. Many similar-looking sowbugs cannot close up that way. Both are crustaceans.
A special find can be hard to spot without being biologically rare. Encounters depend on season and habitat.
Keep exploring
Meet the neighbors.
For curious grownups, too
Read a little further.
- Sowbugs – Wisconsin HorticultureShare on FacebookShare on X (Twitter)Share via EmailCopy Link
- Sowbugs & Pillbugs | Entomology
- Pillbugs and Sowbugs / Home and Landscape / UC Statewide IPM Program (UC IPM)
Original summaries, with references for deeper reading.
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