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Rubber Ducky Isopod
Cubaris sp. 'Rubber Ducky'
The 'Rubber Ducky' Isopod. The Holy Grail and the most famous (and expensive) isopod in the world (0.6 inches). It belongs to the Asian Cubaris group. Its face, composed of a yellow snout surmounted by a gray/bluish carapace with neon yellow extremities, eerily resembles the smiling face of a bath rubber ducky. It demands extreme tropical environments, dark pure limestone caves, and is notorious for sudden mortality and very slow reproduction in captivity.
Class:Malacostraca
Order:Isopoda
Family:Armadillidae
Genus:Cubaris
Species:Cubaris sp. 'Rubber Ducky'
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
75 - 95 %
Ambient temperature
25 °C
Day temperature
22 - 26 °C
Night temperature
18 - 20 °C
Substrate depth
>= 8 cm
UVB
None
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Very deep unviolated karst caves and dripping limestone rock walls wrapped in the tropical jungle of Thailand.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Family Armadillidae. (The Asian Jewel Isopods). Different from the European Armadillidium, the Cubaris are the pinnacle of Asian conglobating evolution: they have extreme domed shells and unique facial masks. The 'Rubber Ducky' have not yet been formally described by official science, remaining classified as Cubaris 'species'.
Behavior and Habits: Timid expensive rock miners. Incredibly cryptic and underground. Rubber Duckies viscerally detest light and spend 95% of their life clinging upside down to limestone stones buried in wet peat. They do not explore and instantly conglobate into perfect balls if touched. Gestation is atrociously slow (months) and broods rarely exceed 6-10 tiny babies a year.
Morphology: Total very rounded enameled dome (Up to 0.6 inches / 1.5 cm). The face is a living biological meme: the head ('the beak') is of an enameled acid yellow, with two small lateral black eyes that create the illusion of a 'smiling face'. The central body is slate gray/dark bluish, closed at the rear by another band (the rear) of bright neon yellow. They look like candies or plastic toys.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Guidance about terrarium setup for Cubaris sp. 'Rubber Ducky' must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Lighting and Heating: Guidance about lighting and heating for Cubaris sp. 'Rubber Ducky' must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Humidity and Hydration: Guidance about humidity and hydration for Cubaris sp. 'Rubber Ducky' must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Feeding and Supplementation: Guidance about feeding and supplementation for Cubaris sp. 'Rubber Ducky' must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Compatibility and Coexistence: Guidance about compatibility and coexistence for Cubaris sp. 'Rubber Ducky' must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Health and Common Diseases: Guidance about health and common diseases for Cubaris sp. 'Rubber Ducky' must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Very deep unviolated karst caves and dripping limestone rock walls wrapped in the tropical jungle of Thailand.
Origin
Central America and CaribbeanEurope, Mediterranean, and West AsiaSouth and Southeast Asia
Terrestrial invertebrate profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- No verified data available
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Venom level
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
Related species
Recommendations grouped by close relatives, companion choices, and similar care.
