Filippinodillo sp. 'Nakar' Isopods for Sale

General Nakar is a real place. It is the largest municipality by area in Quezon province on Luzon, in the Philippines, named after a guerrilla commander executed in 1943, and it is where this isopod's trade name comes from. Like many Philippine trade names, 'Nakar' is a place name, and we have found no collecting record behind it, which is typical of an animal this thinly documented.

What it actually is

The genus is Filippinodillo, erected by Schmalfuss in 1987, in the family Armadillidae. The spelling starts Filipp-, with one L and then two Ps. The trade writes it every possible way, ours included until August 2026, when we corrected our own listings and this page's address. Four species have been formally described, and we know of no published identification that matches 'Nakar' to any of them. We have found no published description of this animal, so it goes out as Filippinodillo sp. 'Nakar' with the abbreviation carrying the uncertainty.

Adults land somewhere around 20 to 25mm, though I would treat that as the trade's working estimate rather than a measurement. The markings vary noticeably between individuals and it is a solid, substantial animal in the hand.

Conditions

Warmth in the low to mid twenties, so roughly 22 to 26°C, is the band most sellers give for this group. Humidity is better thought of as a moisture gradient than a hygrometer reading. Keep the greater part of the substrate damp and leave a drier corner, then let the animals sort themselves out.

The one requirement worth taking seriously across this whole Philippine group is airflow. Sellers in the Philippines and the UK describe these as sensitive to poor ventilation, and a humid box with nowhere for the air to go is how they are lost. Vent it and mean it. Beyond that, give a deep substrate built on flake soil, white-rotted hardwood and organic topsoil, cap that with hardwood litter and decaying wood, then stand cork bark across it. Calcium stays in permanently, whether crushed limestone, cuttlebone or oyster shell.

Feeding is undemanding. The litter and wood carry most of it, with vegetables in small amounts, plus a modest protein feed once or twice weekly. Our substrate guide covers a mix that suits them.

Who it suits

Intermediate. It is not fragile, but it rewards someone who has already kept a colony going. Sellers disagree on its pace, one calling colonies steady but slower than beginner species and another calling it prolific. If you want the same genus with more ornament, Leopard Bee is the ornate amber-and-banded one and holds its markings into adulthood. Whatever else we have from the group is listed under our Filipino isopods, and our Filippinodillo isopod care guide covers the Nakar alongside the other forms we keep.

One note on the group, since you will see it elsewhere. The morph often sold in the UK as 'Giant Banaho' or 'Giant Banahao', and by us as 'Giant Banahoa' until September 2026, is named after Mount Banahaw, a volcano on the Quezon and Laguna border. Banahoa is not a spelling of anything. The Philippine sellers and the hobby taxonomy sites both use Banahaw, and we would rather tell you that than quietly repeat the error.

Ours are captive-bred. Colonies ride on wetted sphagnum, shut inside a vented pot which sits within a twice-walled carton. We stop posting at Thursday, which keeps every order clear of the weekend. Delivery is by Royal Mail Tracked 24, or Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm if you choose Next Day at checkout. Groups are counted generously rather than exactly, and arrival alive is guaranteed.