Porcellio laevis “Dairy cow”
(Latreille, 1804)
Branch: Arthropoda
Sub-branch: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Isopoda
Under order: Oniscidea
Family: Porcellionidae
Gender: Porcellio
Species: P. laevis
They are white/grey with irregular black spots. The surface of the body is smooth (Lisse = laevis in Latin)
Species native to North Africa and Europe. Introduced to Oceania and other continents.
Ideal species for beginners. Very prolific species.
Development
➡️ Very fast: around 8 months
Lifetime
➡️ about 3 years
Diurnal species, very active and visible during the day.
What you need:
Studies have shown that P. laevis has the ability to tolerate and even accumulate heavy metals in its body. This makes it a potential candidate for bioremediation of soils contaminated with heavy metals. Bioremediation is the use of living organisms to remove pollutants from the environment .
The reproduction of Porcellio laevis “Dairy cow” is very simple.
The incubation of eggs takes place directly in the abdomen of the female in a pouch called a marsupial pouch or marsupium. The eggs and young can be seen through transparency. The young at birth are white and measure about 1mm.
At each laying, about thirty young can be born. There can be 1 to 3 layings per year. They are left with the adults.
Temperature
Very robust species, breeding possible from 18 to 28°C .
Hygrometry
50-80% . As with most isopods, it is advisable to separate the terrarium into 2 zones, a humid zone and a dry zone.
If the terrarium is very airy and the substrate dries out too quickly, you can spray a little water.
Terrarium
Many possibilities to raise them. We can use braplast boxes or other plastic boxes with ventilation but also aquariums or terrariums. The size will depend on the number of individuals and will therefore have to be adapted to the growth of the colony. For example, in a 5L box we can keep about 10 individuals. Then in a 10L about 20/30 individuals.
It is possible to create bioactive environments by raising Porcellio laevis “Dairy cow” with other animals.
Substrate
The substrate is a mixture of decomposed oak, beech or chestnut leaves and decomposed wood. This is the litter layer of deciduous forests. The whole will be crushed as finely as possible and then placed at the bottom of the terrarium. An area with whole or coarsely crushed leaves can also be placed.
Decorations and additional elements
Bark will be placed on the substrate to create hiding places. The isopods will gather at this level. We can also add some stones, moss, branches and even natural plants .
Food
They are detritivores and they feed on decomposing organic matter. The basic food will therefore be the substrate . Then we can add pieces of vegetables and fruit . Preferably vegetables and fruits that keep over time and do not go moldy too quickly: zucchini, cucumber, squash, apple, banana, ... It will therefore be necessary to adapt the quantity of food according to the size of your colony.
Supplements
A protein source : dehydrated shrimp are very popular, as is our special isopod mix.
A calcium intake : Cuttlefish bone or calcium powder.
