Armadillidium germanicum 'Darth Vader' Isopods

Not every showpiece isopod has to be a tropical rarity. The Darth Vader is our dark-toned line of Armadillidium germanicum, a hardy pill bug from northern Italy, and the name earns itself the moment one rolls up: a dark, glossy sphere that really does read as a certain helmet. That is drama without a heat mat, on an animal that lives at ordinary room temperature. Every colony we send is captive-bred here in the UK.

Introduction

The base species is Armadillidium germanicum, described by Verhoeff in 1901: an alpine pill bug from one small corner of northern Italy. A nice quirk sits in the name, because although germanicum means "German", every occurrence record we can find is Italian and all of them sit in Trentino-Alto Adige, the Adige Valley area that sellers generally give as the source of hobby stock. One seller still calls the species Central European, but we can find nothing that puts a wild population in Germany or Austria. 'Darth Vader' is not ours alone either: several other sellers list the species under the same name, which describes something real about the animal, much as "Magic Potion" does for a particular A. vulgare morph. Compare it across the Armadillidium range.

Appearance

The species is naturally variable in ground colour, from pale grey-metallic to deep charcoal, and this line is selected for the dark, near-black, glossy individuals, so expect some variation across a colony rather than uniform jet black. Ours show a single line of yellow dots down the back, the marking most sellers of this species describe. Startled, it draws into the tight, complete sphere every Armadillidium is known for, and in a dark animal that rolled ball is the whole point of the name. On size we have had to retreat. This page used to call it substantial at 13 to 22 mm. The sellers who do publish a measurement give 12 to 16 mm, and one of them stops at 13 mm. That is mid-range for the genus, on a par with A. werneri and below A. vulgare 'Big Italy'. The draw here is the colouring and the roll, not the bulk.

Care

At medium difficulty the germanicum asks for less than the fussier Mediterranean species, but it rewards steady conditions. Aim for 18 to 24°C, which a normally heated UK room holds the year round, and 50 to 70% humidity on a gradient: one damp side with sphagnum and leaf litter, the rest drier, since it dislikes both a waterlogged tub and an arid one. Give a deep, moisture-retentive substrate of organic topsoil, flake soil and rotting hardwood rather than coco coir, with plenty of cork and bark for the under-stone shelter it favours. Supplement calcium generously and never copper: isopods take all the trace copper they need from a varied diet, and added copper is toxic to them. Our calcium guide has the detail.

Diet

An unfussy detritivore: a constant base of mixed hardwood leaf litter and rotting wood, vegetable once or twice a week, the occasional soft fruit, and protein such as fish flake or dried shrimp for the breeding females. Keep multiple calcium sources going for a hard, well-calcified shell, and lift uneaten fresh food within a couple of days. A springtail culture keeps mould down around the damp corner.

Breeding

The germanicum breeds reliably once a colony settles, in moderate broods rather than a flood. A well-established group of six months or more is far more productive than a freshly set-up one, so give it good calcium and plenty of cover for gravid females, and let it get on with it undisturbed.

Who is this for?

The Darth Vader suits the keeper who wants a dark, dramatic Armadillidium, the collector building an Italian cluster, and, yes, anyone who will enjoy the helmet gag every time the colony rolls up. Try an easier morph like Magic Potion or the bright Clown first if you are new to the genus. It is not for anyone who wants bright colour across the whole animal, or an isopod that does not roll.

Every colony is captive-bred from established UK stock and ships under our live arrival guarantee, in a ventilated deli tub with damp sphagnum inside a double-walled box. We dispatch Monday to Thursday by Royal Mail next day before 1pm, with a 20% overcount included.