Orange Granulatum 'Naranjito' Isopods (Armadillidium granulatum)

Most of the eye-catching colour in this hobby is the product of years of selective breeding, so the Orange Granulatum is a refreshing exception: this warm, spotted orange is how the animal turns up in the wild. Known in Spain as the "Naranjito", the little orange, it is a naturally occurring colour form of Armadillidium granulatum found in particular Iberian populations, especially around the Costa Blanca. No line-breeding and no isolated mutation, just a bright native woodlouse that happens to look like a premium morph. For keepers who like the idea of an authentic locality variant over a designer project, that origin is a large part of the appeal.

The look is warm orange over a granulated, faintly pebbled back, dusted with brighter yellow spotting, and no two animals carry quite the same pattern. It rides on one of the larger and hardier Armadillidium going: adults are substantial, comfortably over 20 mm, and they are confident animals that spend a lot of time out in the open rather than hiding, so a settled colony is on show rather than a mystery. That pairing of a bold colour with straightforward, beginner-friendly care is unusual, and it is why the Naranjito has become such a well-liked Spanish species. It sits happily alongside the standard Granulatum, the pearlescent Magic Potion and the two-tone Jelly Bean.

Being a dry-country Spanish animal, it wants a moderate humidity with a proper gradient rather than a wet box. Aim for something around 50 to 70% across the tub: one lightly damp corner under sphagnum and leaf litter, the rest allowed to breathe and dry between mistings, with good cross-ventilation over the top. Normal UK room temperature suits them the year round, roughly 15 to 26°C, and they take seasonal ups and downs without complaint. Like every true pill woodlouse they conglobate, rolling into a tight sealed ball when startled, which on a bright orange body is a fine thing to watch.

Set a starter colony up in a five to ten litre tub with a clip-lock lid and cross-vented sides. For substrate I use a living base of flake soil, well-rotted hardwood and organic topsoil, five centimetres or so deep for burrowing. I would keep a plain coco-coir base out of it, since it holds damp but gives a substrate-grazer nothing to eat as it breaks down. Cap it with a thick layer of hardwood leaf litter, magnolia and oak both good, add cork bark for cover, and leave a calcium source such as cuttlebone or crushed eggshell in permanently for firm, clean moults.

Feeding is no bother. Leaf litter and rotting wood are the always-available base; on top of that give soft veg like courgette, squash and sweet potato a couple of times a week, lift out anything uneaten within a day, and offer a little protein such as fish flake or dried insects now and then to keep a breeding colony productive. As with all Armadillidium they will nibble soft plants and moss in a planted setup, so choose tougher greenery if you want it to last.

Breeding looks after itself once the drier gradient is right. Females carry their young in a brood pouch and release live miniatures, and a group given warmth, calcium and steady food builds into a self-sustaining colony over a season, the orange colouring deepening as the youngsters mature. Pair them with a springtail culture to keep mould down in the damp corner, or browse the wider Armadillidium collection for more of the genus. Every order is captive-bred, boxed double-walled around a ventilated tub of damp sphagnum, and posted Monday to Thursday by tracked next-day Royal Mail with a live-arrival guarantee and a small overcount as standard.