Isopods are sometimes known as pill bugs or woodlice. They belong to the crustacean class.
They’re great for lizards and frogs to eat. Isopods may help keep a vivarium clean by consuming plant debris.
Isopods can also be purchased at a pet store.
How do Isopods Reproduce?
The males follow females around to get as close to the female to give her the sperm. Males sit for hours on the female’s back, tapping their last pair of legs on the female isopod’s segmental plates. Once the eggs are fertilized, the female keeps them in her pouch until they’re ready to hatch.
Reproduction
Males have two penises that are joined.
The second pleopod collects semen from the penis and puts it in the female’s gonopore, where it is given to her.
The sperm are kept in a specific receptacle on the oviduct, which is a hump near the gonopore.
Fertilization occurs once the eggs are generated shortly after molting, during which point a link is formed between the sperm receptacles and the oviduct.
The female broods the eggs in a chamber found beneath the thorax called the marsupium. It’s formed by plates called oostegites. This pocket is full of water even in terrestrial isopods.
The eggs hatch into mancae, a post-larval stage that resembles an adult but does not have the last pair of pereopods. This procedure takes 3 to 4 weeks to complete.
Isopod dispersion is limited by the lack of the swimming phase in their life cycle, which could also justify the order’s high levels of endemism.
Isopods molt in two phases, a process known as “biphasic molting,” which distinguishes them from other species. They initially lose their exoskeleton from the back half of their bodies, then the front half.
After they hatch, you can’t see the eggs aren’t with the naked eye yet. They’ll only appear after a week has passed. They will soon reach their full size and then cease growing.
Place the freshly hatched isopods in a new environment that is identical to the one in which they were hatched.
Isopods do not reach sexual maturity until they’re six months of age. They’ll can develop and mature further if they are removed.
Of course, if reproducing them is only for the purpose of providing food for your reptile pets, you can remove them at any point and continue with your plan.
Habitat For Reproduction
All you need to get started is a plastic container and some materials to make a habitat. After around a month, you’ll find new baby isopods in the habitat.
Fill the plastic container halfway with soil and sand. Use clean soil and sand to avoid bringing in outside pollutants.
Put down two or three layers of dirt first, then a layer of sand. If you don’t have any sand or potting soil, you may use coir fiber.
Collect some tree bark and leaves from your yard and dry them up in the oven before putting them in your habitat. Make sure you don’t burn them.
Place them on a baking sheet and bake them at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for five to ten minutes to dry.
Any germs or pollutants that may damage the isopods are killed during the drying process. Layer the leaves over the dirt once it has dried fully to make a lifelike habitat for the isopods.
Check to see whether the leaves, foliage, or bark you’re utilizing have been treated with pesticides. Mist the leaves with filtered water using a spray bottle.
The presence of moisture in the surroundings helps your isopod to sip while remaining damp.
To prevent adding pollutants to your surroundings, such as extra minerals, fill a spray bottle with filtered water. Just enough water to wet the earth, sand, and vegetation, but not enough to generate stagnant water.
If you don’t have a spray bottle, wet a clean cloth, and place it on top of your habitat’s sand layer. Replace the paper towel daily.
Mold will have a harder time growing in this environment.
On one or both sides of the habitation enclosure, put overlapped pieces of white, untreated cardboard. Isopods are nocturnal and require a hiding spot during the day.
How to Determine an Isopod’s Gender
Because isopods are tiny and their bodies might be fragile, you don’t want to handle them too much. The approach outlined here is the fastest and most straightforward way to determine gender.
Inspect the abdomen’s end with a cautious grip or in a transparent container to determine the gender.
Male isopods have a pointed arch on their segment plates, whilst females have a rectangular form.
Dimorphism in Males and Females
When attempting to figure out the gender of a juvenile isopod, this can be a problem. The majority of organisms have distinct sexes and little sexual dimorphism.
A few species, however, are hermaphroditic, and certain parasite forms show substantial sexual dimorphism.
Some cymothoidans appear to be protogynous hermaphrodites, born male but later changing sex, whereas a few anthuroideans appear to be protogynous hermaphrodites, born female but later changing sex.
Hence, it’s vital to always have at least 20 to 30 isopods in the habitat.
Isopods and Their Care
I recommend collecting or purchasing approximately 30 isopods and place them in the habitat. I like to gather them on my own.
Isopods can be found dwelling underwood, rocks, dead leaves, and other dark, damp, and food-rich environments.
When you collect your own isopods, you’ll need to figure out their genders, so you don’t wind up with all females or all males.
Frequently Asked Questions about How Isopods Reproduce
Can I breed different species of isopods?
You could try. Very few people have been successful, and the first generation of mixed breeds usually only results in a few out of hundreds of a cross-breed. With each crossbreed, you may get a few more of the new breed.
Can freshwater and land isopods breed?
They can, as long as they’re roughly same in size. Most all freshwater isopods are water and land isopods.
Conclusion
Isopod breeding is a good hobby and pastime, especially if you want to sell them.
They can even generate more money for you. You may, on the other hand, always restore them to nature.