Pill Bugs Classification

Pill bugs are knows as woodlice,sowbugs, and roly-polies.Despite the name Pill bugs aren't actually “bugs” they are classified as terrestrial isopods and fall under the class Crustacea.This class also falls under an even larger group called Arthropoda. Arthropoda consists of many Arthropods that have bilateral symmetry,segmented bodies,exoskeletons,jointed appendages,and numerous pairs of limbs.Pill bugs also have a flattened or round-backed profile,seven pairs of legs, and sharply-angled antennae.According to Dr.Jonathan Wright ”The broad head has 4 pairs of mouthparts and is followed by the 7 main trunk segments, which bear the walking limbs. Behind these are 6 smaller segments comprising the pleon. The pleon segments also carry limbs, but these are greatly modified. The first 5 pairs are the pleopods. These are flattened and form a set of overlapping gills visible on the underside of
The typical lifespan for pill bugs is 2 to 3 years.They have 4 main life stages:egg,manca,juvenile,and adult.Pill bugs mate from May to September and the female lays eggs in a pouch full of fluid.The eggs then hatch after just a couple of days.Like all arthropods Pill Bugs grow by molting their hard exoskeleton.First the back half comes off and then a few days later the front half.You can tell that a Pill Bug is in the middle of molting if the Pill bug is gray or brown on one end and pink on the other. Pill bugs are sometimes considered as “pests”although they do not cause any harm to humans or any household items.Also, they do not lay their eggs indoors.Most of the time the indoor environment is too dry for them to survive so they die shortly after coming inside.They enter homes through sliding doors and other ground level entrances.To make sure that Pill bugs do not invade your home you must try to minimize any moisture around the