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Almost everything about woodlice

Last Saturday, Jim asked me, “Have you ever written a column about roly-polies, those cute little bugs that I find under flowerpots and in the compost? What do they do?”
I responded, “Woodlice? The ones that roll up into a ball when you touch them? Little kids love to play with them. I think they just eat decaying material, sort of like nature’s little garbagemen. I did read something special about them, but I can’t remember what it was.”
Thus began my quest for information on woodlice or roly-polies or about 250 other names, including pillbug, doodlebug, and armadillo bug, depending on region, state, country, or species. The fact is that woodlice are neither lice nor bugs, nor are they armadillos, although some species can roll up into a tight ball when disturbed, very much like an armadillo. The family name, Armadillidium, means “little armadillo.” Armadillidium vulgare is a commonly found species.
Woodlice are crustaceans, terrestrial isopods that have their very own suborder, Onisc...

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