Sinodillo sp. 'China' Isopods

This little isopod has been through a few names. Sold for years as a Merulanella, it is now sold as a Sinodillo, and the 'China' in its name is a judgement about where it comes from, not a collecting record, as our Sinodillo sp. 'China' care guide explains. Most sellers call it Sinodillo sp. 'Vietnam'. You will still see it traded under its older labels, Merulanella sp. 'Red Head' and Merulanella sp. 'Vietnam'; Sinodillo itself is a genus Kwon and Taiti named in 1993 for woodlice from Yunnan in south-west China. They built the name from Sina, Late Latin for China, and -dillo, the ending that many genera in the family Armadillidae share. Most of the other animals once sold as Merulanella, among them the Ardentiella morphs such as the Lava, sit in a different genus after the 2025 revision of Merulanella; this one went its own way, and we found no mention of Sinodillo in that paper. This is a corner of the hobby where the taxonomy is still on the move.

The look earns the attention. Sellers describe a bluish-grey to grey-brown back with a cinnamon-red head and red along the skirt-like edges, which is where the old name 'Red Head' comes from. The uncurled animals in our photographs are a glossy slate-grey to purple-grey, some finely flecked paler on the back, and none shows an obvious red head or rim. Colour seems to vary: one keeper found about half of a first culture with orange-red borders, and others drab and grey. These are small isopods, topping out around 10 to 12 mm, with a compact, neatly rounded shape, and they can roll into a tight ball: our photographs show one rolled up, and the genus they are sold under was described as able to roll up into a ball. Colonies stay reasonably active into the evening, so the colour is on show rather than always tucked away.

That 10 to 12mm is the sellers' figure rather than a published one: we have found no formal description of the animal.

What makes it worth a place on the shelf is that a striking, unusual-looking Asian species stays approachable to keep. Sellers rate it anywhere from easy to moderate, and two of them say it does better cooler than many tropical isopods. If you have kept a forgiving starter such as Cubaris murina and want more colour without the demands of a premium species like the Rubber Ducky, this fills the gap neatly.

Care comes down to warmth, humidity and air. Keep the enclosure stable and moderately humid over a few centimetres of living substrate the colony can work through, and pair that moisture with steady ventilation so the air never turns stale, which is the usual key with these Asian species. They sit a little cooler than many tropical Cubaris, so somewhere in the low to mid twenties Celsius suits them, held steady and away from windows or heat sources. A base rich in decaying matter suits them, and a scoop of flake soil adds nutrition and structure. Lay on plenty of cork bark and hardwood leaf litter for cover and food; magnolia leaves hold up well as a long-lasting top layer. Work a moisture gradient across the tub, damp on one side and drier under the litter on the other, so the colony can choose its own comfort. Keep a calcium source available for clean moults, offer the odd pinch of protein to support breeding, lift any spoiling fresh food before it turns, and let a springtail culture share the tub to graze the soft mould in the damper corners.

Breeding asks little more than patience once the conditions are right. Females carry their eggs in a brood pouch and release live young, still short of their last pair of legs. Sellers call it anything from a fair to a fast breeder, and none gives a brood size. Give breeding females steady conditions, ample calcium and plenty of cover.

Every order goes out captive-bred, packed into a ventilated tub of damp sphagnum inside a double-walled box, and dispatched Monday to Thursday on Royal Mail Tracked 24, or Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm if you choose Next Day at checkout. Live arrival is guaranteed, and we add a 20% overcount as standard.