Armadillidium frontetriangulum 'Corfu' Isopods

Look at Armadillidium frontetriangulum head-on and the name explains itself. A pale triangular marking sits across the front of the head, pointing down between the eyes, and it is this little painted triangle that gives the species both its scientific epithet, from 'fronte' for forehead and 'triangulum' for the triangular shape, and its footing in the hobby. Most keepers know it as the Corfu isopod or the Painted Corfu, while a few still call it the Triangle-faced pill woodlouse.

Underneath that badge the body is dark, rounded and robust, scattered with yellow and white flecks that differ from one animal to the next and deepen as they mature. Fully grown adults reach roughly 15 to 20 mm, medium-sized for the genus. A vivid orange form also circulates for colour-variant collectors, though the dark painted type is the one you will meet most often.

The species hails from Corfu, or Kerkyra, the Ionian island off western Greece, where recognised populations include the nominate frontetriangulum alongside the subspecies continuatum. That Greek home is worth remembering when you set them up. Corfu has warm, dry summers and milder, wetter winters, so these are Mediterranean animals rather than tropical ones, and they do best with a moisture gradient instead of a tank kept damp from end to end.

In practice I keep mine at ordinary room temperature the year round, and most UK homes sit fine in the 18 to 25°C band without extra heat. Keep humidity moderate, around 50 to 65%, letting one side stay damp while the rest dries between mistings. Airflow matters too, so a well-ventilated tub beats a sealed one; stale, sodden conditions cause far more trouble here than the odd dry patch, since the Corfu shrugs off drought. Give them 5 to 8 cm of substrate to burrow and moult in, plenty of leaf litter and bark for cover, and a steady calcium source such as cuttlebone or crushed limestone for clean moults. Like all Armadillidium they conglobate, curling into a tight ball when startled, the spotting still visible on the rolled shell.

Feeding asks little of you. They are detritivores that graze on decaying hardwood leaves, rotten wood and bark as their staple, topped up once or twice a week with a little vegetable matter and an occasional protein source, fish flake or dried daphnia, to fuel breeding. Offer only what the colony clears in a day or two and lift out the rest, since leftover fresh food soon moulds in the damp corner.

Temperament is much of why I like them. Rather than hiding away, Corfu isopods forage in the open and settle happily in groups, so a display or bioactive vivarium shows them at their best. Breeding follows quickly once a colony has found its feet, often within a few weeks to a couple of months; females carry their young in a brood pouch and release fully formed miniatures that take on the spots and the head triangle as they grow. Starting with a larger group helps them establish faster and builds steadier numbers over time.

If you are assembling a Greek or wider Mediterranean group, it sits comfortably among the spotted and striped species in the Armadillidium collection, and its triangular badge makes it one of the simpler ones to name on sight. Our colonies are captive-bred and dispatched from the UK, double-walled and packed with care so they arrive active and ready to settle.

Common questions

Does the Corfu isopod need high humidity? No. It comes from Corfu, so moderate humidity of about 50 to 65%, with a damp end and a drier end, suits it far better than a uniformly wet enclosure.

Is it a good first Armadillidium? Yes. It is hardy, drought-tolerant and quick to breed, and it forgives the occasional slip, which makes it an easy species to start with.

What is the triangle on its head? A pale marking across the forehead that names the species, fronte-triangulum, and, viewed from the front, lends it a faintly mantis-like look.

Keep them dry-leaning, well ventilated and calcium-rich, and you will have an easy, active colony wearing that unmistakable painted face.