Day 195: Inspired by a recent blog post from Mass Audubon Joppa Flats Education Center (you know, the people I make knit hats for!), I went sowbug hunting in my yard with a mind to enlightening my readership with regard to these helpful little crustaceans. Yep, that's your first lesson right there: crustaceans. Sowbugs and Pillbugs (aka Roly-polys) are not insects. In fact, they are more closely akin to crayfish (crawdads) than to insects. They belong to the greater taxonomic Order of Isopoda (isopods). Sowbugs and Pillbugs both belong to the suborder Oniscidea, Sowbugs to the taxonomic family Oniscidae (note the spelling difference in the ending, please) and Pillbugs to Armadillidiidae (proofreader's nightmare, that one). The scientific name of Pillbugs should give you a clue on how to tell them apart. Pillbugs can roll up like an armadillo; Sowbugs cannot. Another physical difference is that Sowbugs have two short tails. Pillbugs have none. Sowbugs also have two pair of antennae, although the second pair is difficult to see without a magnifier. Although many people get "creeped out" at the thought of Roly-polys, they are in fact harmless and helpful. They thrive on decaying plant matter, and do not bite or sting. There are a number of species in each Family, and on this occasion, those I could find seeking cool, moist places under rocks and old wood in my yard all appeared to be an introduced species, Oniscus asellus, the European Sowbug.
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