Michael V said:

SCIENCE said:

roughbarked said:

That’s a really shiny one.

actually, you might know

how often does this happen

It may be an incomplete exoskeleton moult.

roughbarked said:

SCIENCE said:

roughbarked said:

MV gave you an inclination to use that fabulous bing/google for.

haven’t found anything similar https://www.google.com/search?q=black+and+white+woodlouse

oh believe us, it’s been maybe 10 years and from time to time we’ve had a search, to no avail

SCIENCE said:

roughbarked said:

Dark Orange said:

Every time they shed.

OK so you haven’t yet searched “two toned”?
also, you haven’t yet discounted partial shedding?

see it wasn’t that hard to help was it

thank yous

obviously we don’t see them that often

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

SCIENCE said:

interestingly apart from the one you show just above almost every other image available out there has the front lighter and rear darker

makes sense they’d need to change the back end as well but just curious the sampling biases that arise

If you capture some and observe, you’ll note that they shed in segments.

If you need to know the reference:

http://www.janvanduinen.nl/isopodaengels.php

thanks, we honestly didn’t even know it was a thing

very well delineated halfway colour change

I didn’t know about this either.

Does it differ between slaters (Porcellio) and pill-bugs (Armadillidium)?

mollwollfumble said:

I didn’t know about this either.

Does it differ between slaters (Porcellio) and pill-bugs (Armadillidium)?

So you didn’t read the webpage I linked?

roughbarked said:

mollwollfumble said:

I didn’t know about this either.

Does it differ between slaters (Porcellio) and pill-bugs (Armadillidium)?

So you didn’t read the webpage I linked?

That doesn’t surprise me.

The thickened cuticle of Armadillidium vulgare consists of an exocuticle containing rows of crystallized calcite and an endocuticle made up of amorphous calcium carbonate. The cuticle must be periodically shed to allow for continued growth. The molting cycle of males and non-reproducing females, called the normal intermolt, takes about 29 days. It begins with a 2 day period following the last molt, where the new, soft cuticle calicifies. The pillbug cannot move or eat, and is vulnerable to predation and dessication. For 12 to 14 days, the calcium builds up in the exoskeleton. Then a 10 to 12 day premolt, where the new molt cycle begins. The hemolymph reabsorbs calcium from the old exoskeleton, and the new exoskeleton forms while the old exoskeleton separates from the epidermis. The remaining part of the cycle is a 2 to 4 day ecdysis of intermolt, where the splitting of the old exoskeleton occurs and is shed from the body.

pill millipede, Glomeris marginata, just shedded with old skin