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Caramel swift woodlouse
Porcellio laevis "Caramel"
A beautiful and warm caramel-colored morph of Porcellio laevis, highly active and prolific, popular among collectors.
Class:Malacostraca
Order:Isopoda
Family:Porcellionidae
Genus:Porcellio
Species:Porcellio laevis "Caramel"
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
50 - 70 %
Day temperature
20 - 26 °C
Night temperature
18 - 22 °C
UVB
None
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Porcellio laevis "Caramel" is a captive-bred color morph of the cosmopolitan terrestrial isopod Porcellio laevis. The wild ancestor is native to Europe and the Mediterranean region, but has been introduced worldwide. It occupies damp, organic-rich environments such as leaf litter, gardens, and decaying logs. The "Caramel" morph was selectively isolated by breeders to preserve its warm, tan-brown tones.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Belonging to the class Malacostraca, order Isopoda, family Porcellionidae, and genus Porcellio. The "Caramel" mutation is recessive, causing a partial reduction in dark melanin pigmentation, allowing warm beige and honey-brown tones to express. This trait breeds true when individuals are housed exclusively with other "Caramel" specimens.
Behavior and Habits: Just like the wild type, this morph is exceptionally fast-moving and active. It is primarily nocturnal but will forage during the day in shaded, established colonies. They are social decomposers, aggregating under bark hides to retain moisture. They play an important ecological role by accelerating the breakdown of organic waste in soil.
Morphology: Features a smooth, glossy, and flattened oval body reaching 2.0 to 2.5 cm in length at maturity. The dorsal carapace lacks the rough tubercles found in other Porcellio species. The "Caramel" morph exhibits a uniform, warm caramel-brown coloration across its body, antennae, and uropods. The eyes remain dark, providing a soft contrast to the light brown carapace.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Can be easily kept in plastic or glass enclosures of at least 30x20x20 cm. The substrate should be 5-8 cm deep, consisting of coconut coir, peat moss, crushed rotten wood, and a large quantity of dry hardwood leaves (oak, beech). Place pieces of cork bark on top and provide a cuttlebone as a continuous calcium source.
Lighting and Heating: No specialized lighting is required; ambient, indirect room light is ideal. The preferred temperature range is 20°C to 26°C (68-79°F). Avoid direct sunlight, which can overheat the enclosure. No supplementary heating is needed if kept in a standard heated home environment.
Humidity and Hydration: A moisture gradient is crucial. Dampen one side of the enclosure containing sphagnum moss to maintain 70-80% humidity, while keeping the other side dry with dry leaf litter. This allows the isopods to access moisture for their pleopodal lungs without risk of desiccation or drowning.
Feeding and Supplementation: A varied detritivorous diet is essential. They feed continuously on the decaying leaves and wood in the substrate. Supplement 2-3 times weekly with fresh vegetables (carrots, squash), fish flakes, or dry pet food for protein. Keep cuttlebone or crushed eggshells available at all times for calcium.
Compatibility: Can cohabitate with other Porcellio laevis morphs, but they will cross-breed, resulting in wild-type grey offspring in subsequent generations. Excellent clean-up crew (CUC) for bioactive terrariums housing larger reptiles and amphibians. Do not house with tiny, delicate species that could be stressed by their activity.
Health and Common Diseases: Desiccation is the primary threat; a completely dry enclosure will kill the colony overnight. Lack of ventilation leads to toxic mold and stagnant conditions. Remove uneaten fresh food within 24 hours to prevent infestation by mites or fungus gnats.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Porcellio laevis "Caramel" is a captive-bred color morph of the cosmopolitan terrestrial isopod Porcellio laevis. The wild ancestor is native to Europe and the Mediterranean region, but has been introduced worldwide. It occupies damp, organic-rich environments such as leaf litter, gardens, and decaying logs. The "Caramel" morph was selectively isolated by breeders to preserve its warm, tan-brown tones.
Origin
Selective breeding and cultivarsNorth AmericaEurope, Mediterranean, and West AsiaCosmopolitan or introduced
Terrestrial invertebrate profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 2 cm
- 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
The catalog's scalar value is 2 cm. The British Myriapod and Isopod Group — Porcellio laevis source reports a maximum adult measurement of 2 cm for this species, recorded as body length. The biological datum refers to the base species Porcellio laevis, not exclusively to the commercial variety. These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
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.
