Tenerife White & Light Purple Isopods (Armadillidium sp)

A beautiful locale-specific Armadillidium from the Canary Island of Tenerife, displaying a pale white body with subtle light purple tones across the dorsal segments. These aren't a selectively-bred colour morph — they're a natural population from Tenerife that happens to express soft lilac-and-white colouration. That makes them genuinely distinctive and a nice alternative to the more common European Armadillidium species.

At £12 for 10, £20 for 20, or £45 for 50, they're an accessible Armadillidium option with more visual interest than standard A. vulgare.

A Glimpse

• Scientific Name: Armadillidium sp. — species-level identification isn't confirmed for this Tenerife locale
• Origin: Tenerife, Canary Islands (Europe)
• Family: Armadillidiidae
• Adult Size: Up to 20 mm
• Difficulty: Easy — beginner-friendly
• Temperature: 18–27°C — tolerant of standard UK room temperature
• Humidity: 40–60% — moderate humidity with a moisture gradient
• Rarity: Common
• Conglobation: Yes — they roll into a ball when disturbed, like all Armadillidium

What Makes Them Different

Most Armadillidium in the UK hobby come from mainland Europe — France, Spain, Italy, the Balkans. Tenerife, being a volcanic island off the northwest coast of Africa with its own evolutionary history, produces isopod populations that can look and behave slightly differently from their mainland cousins. The Canary Islands host around 36 native isopod species, many of them endemic to specific islands.

The Tenerife White & Light Purple displays pale colouration with gentle purple hues — softer and more pastel than the vivid morphs you'll see in selectively-bred A. vulgare lines like Magic Potion. If you prefer subtle, naturalistic colouration over the candy-bright designer morphs, these fit that preference well. They also look distinctive against dark substrates where the pale body catches the light.

Behaviourally, they share the key Armadillidium trait: rolling into a tight ball (conglobation) when disturbed. This is the defining feature of the genus and what separates "pill bugs" from "sow bugs." It's also why Armadillidium species are often the first isopods people encounter as children — rolling them into a ball is part of their universal appeal.

Why They're a Great Beginner Choice

Armadillidium species are widely recommended as starter isopods for good reasons:

• Forgiving of minor mistakes. Mediterranean-origin Armadillidium tolerate a reasonable range of conditions. They don't need the precise humidity control that tropical Cubaris or Ardentiella demand.
• Room temperature is fine. No heating required in most UK homes. They'll do well at typical indoor temperatures year-round.
• Visible and active. Unlike some shy species that stay hidden under leaf litter, Armadillidium come out to forage and can often be spotted on the substrate surface.
• Steady breeding. Once established, colonies grow at a predictable pace. Not explosive like Porcellio scaber, but reliable.
• Affordable entry point. At £12 for 10, you can start a viable colony without the investment required for rarer species.

If this is your first Armadillidium, you might also want to consider them alongside Porcellio scaber for a different body shape and behaviour profile, or browse the full Armadillidium collection for other species and morphs.

The Enclosure

A standard 6–8 litre plastic tub or small glass enclosure works well for a starter colony of 10–20. Larger colonies benefit from proportionally larger enclosures — Armadillidium don't need much vertical space but appreciate horizontal floor area for foraging and establishing territories.

Ventilation is important. Armadillidium, unlike tropical species, don't tolerate stagnant humid air well. Use a tight-fitting lid with several ventilation holes or mesh sections, ideally on opposite sides for cross-ventilation. Too little airflow causes mould and mite issues; too much dries the enclosure out too quickly. A balanced approach works best.

Our accessories collection has air vents and enclosure fittings that provide controlled airflow without over-drying.

The Moisture Gradient

This is the most important husbandry concept for Armadillidium. Rather than keeping the entire enclosure at a single humidity level, create a gradient — one third to half the enclosure should be lightly damp, the remainder drier. This lets the isopods choose the conditions they need at any given moment.

Damp side: Moist substrate topped with sphagnum moss or damp leaf litter. Mist this area to maintain moisture. Aim for damp, not waterlogged.

Dry side: Drier substrate with a thinner leaf litter layer. This side needs occasional light misting or spot-watering to prevent complete desiccation, but should stay noticeably drier than the moist side.

Placing hides (cork bark, bark pieces, hollow pieces) across both zones gives the colony sheltered options at each moisture level. This gradient approach is how Mediterranean and Canary Island Armadillidium evolved to thrive — they self-regulate by moving between zones.

Substrate

Base substrate should be organic topsoil (pesticide-free) mixed with some hardwood leaf litter. For added nutrition, mix in flake soil — fermented hardwood that provides long-term food value throughout the enclosure. Substrate depth of 3–5 cm is adequate for Armadillidium; they don't burrow deeply.

Top the substrate generously with leaf litter. Magnolia leaves provide long-lasting cover that Armadillidium use for shelter and gradual grazing. Bamboo leaf litter mixed in adds structural variety and keeps the litter layer airy. A good leaf litter layer is essential — if you can see bare substrate, you need more leaves.

Temperature

18–27°C covers their comfort range, and typical UK room temperature sits comfortably within this. No heating required in most homes. They tolerate modest temperature fluctuations well — a slight night drop is actually beneficial and mimics natural conditions.

Avoid placing the enclosure in direct sunlight or near heat sources that cause rapid temperature swings. Stability is more important than hitting any specific temperature within the comfort range.

Diet

Primary diet: Dried leaf litter and soft rotting wood — always available in the enclosure. This isn't a supplement, it's the foundation of their nutrition.

Vegetables and fruit: Cucumber, courgette, carrot, sweet potato, squash, and similar vegetables offered 1–2 times per week in pencil-eraser-sized pieces. Remove uneaten pieces after 12–24 hours to prevent mould and pest issues.

Protein: Freeze-dried shrimp, fish flakes, dried mealworms, or dried bloodworm offered 1–2 times per week. Place protein foods on the dry side of the enclosure — they spoil quickly in damp conditions and attract pests.

Calcium: Essential for healthy moulting and reproduction. Cuttlebone left permanently in the enclosure gives them access whenever they need it. Limestone pieces provide a passive calcium source and add habitat structure at the same time.

Note: Armadillidium can be opportunistic plant-nibblers. If you're keeping them in a planted bioactive setup, don't use them with plants you can't afford to lose — they'll occasionally snack on soft plant material and moss.

Breeding

Armadillidium breed steadily under good conditions. Females carry eggs in a brood pouch (marsupium) on the underside of the body, and emerge with live mancae after the eggs hatch. You'll first notice successful breeding when small pale mancae start appearing in the leaf litter — usually a few weeks after establishing a colony.

Reproduction rate is moderate — not as fast as Porcellio scaber, but reliable. A starter colony of 10 should establish and begin producing offspring within 1–3 months under good conditions. Within 6–12 months, a well-maintained colony will typically triple or quadruple in size.

Pair With Springtails

Adding a springtail culture to any Armadillidium setup helps manage mould and breaks down frass at a scale the isopods themselves can't handle. Springtails and isopods coexist without conflict and form the classic "cleanup crew" pairing in bioactive setups.

Pairs Well With

Building a complete enclosure:

• Flake Soil — fermented hardwood substrate for nutrition
• Magnolia Leaves — long-lasting leaf cover
• Bamboo Leaf Litter — structural leaf layer with good airflow
• Cuttlebone — essential calcium for moulting
• Malawi Limestone — passive calcium and habitat enrichment
• Springtails — cleanup crew for mould and frass
• Enclosures & Air Vents — for properly ventilated housing

For a full walkthrough on putting a setup together, see our guide to setting up and selecting your first isopods. For more on the genus and related species, browse our Armadillidium collection or explore all isopods for sale.