Red Panda King Isopods (Cubaris sp.)

Take the familiar black-and-white Panda King, swap its grey banding for a glow of orange through to deep blood-red, and you have the Red Panda King - one of the most eye-catching accessible Cubaris in the UK hobby. It keeps the signature twin white bands near the head, so it still reads unmistakably as a Panda King, but the colour transforms a classic-looking isopod into something genuinely striking.

Introduction

The Red Panda King is Cubaris sp. "Red Panda King", the red colour morph of the ever-popular Cubaris Panda King. It is the same Vietnamese cave species carrying a recessive mutation that trades the classic monochrome for warm reds and oranges, while keeping the signature twin white bands near the head. Colour runs the full range between individuals, from bright orange to deep red with peachy highlights, and the banding varies in strength too, so no two are quite alike. It also sits at the head of a small breeding lineage: the softer Pink Panda King was in turn developed from Red Panda King stock.

Appearance

Adults reach around 1-1.5 cm, the same compact, rounded build as the standard Panda King. The appeal is all in the colour and its authenticity: the red eyes and reduced pigment confirm a genuine morph, the two solid white bands anchor it unmistakably to the Panda King line, and the depth of red only grows richer as animals mature. Like every Cubaris, a startled Red Panda King rolls up into a flawless little sphere until it judges the danger has passed.

Care

Here is the good news on husbandry: care is identical to the standard Panda King, and just as manageable. In short, that means cave-Cubaris conditions - warm and humid at around 21-27°C and 70-80%, with low ventilation to hold that humidity rather than the strong airflow drier isopods need; a deep substrate built on flake soil, white-rotted hardwood and organic topsoil rather than the moisture-holding but inert coco coir; and a permanent calcium source to match their limestone-cave origins, which our calcium guide runs through. Our Panda King listing and complete Cubaris care guide set out the full detail, and a springtail culture is an essential partner in any humid Cubaris enclosure.

Breeding

One thing worth knowing specifically about this morph: newly arrived Red Panda Kings often take two to three months to settle before they begin breeding. That is entirely normal, so resist the urge to dig through the substrate hunting for them or to worry at a quiet start; hold conditions stable and let them establish. Once they do, they breed as reliably as any Panda King, which for a Cubaris of this colour is a genuine advantage. Our guide to breeding Rubber Duckys and Panda Kings applies directly.

Who is this for?

The Red Panda King suits a keeper ready to step from hardy beginner species into Cubaris, and especially the collector who wants that accessible Panda King reliability wrapped in a far more striking colour. It asks a little more than a Porcellio - warmth, humidity and low ventilation - but it is one of the more forgiving cave Cubaris, and its red eyes and clean banding make it a genuinely rewarding centrepiece. Compare it with the rest of the line in our Cubaris collection.

Each Red Panda King is bred in-house here in the UK and sent under our live arrival guarantee, nestled in sphagnum moss inside a ventilated deli tub and a double-walled outer box. We only post Monday to Thursday, so no colony sits waiting through a weekend.