Porcellio hoffmannseggii

Porcellio hoffmannseggii
Summary
Endemic to:	Southern Spain
Originator:	?
Market(s):	US, Canada, Europe, SEa
Varieties:	6
Price:	$50~$160
Length:	20~30mm
Broods:	★★★☆☆
Humidity:	★★☆☆☆
Difficulty:	★★☆☆☆
Rarity:	★★☆☆☆
Classification
Suborder:	Oniscidea
Section:	Crinocheta
Family:	Porcellionidae
Genus:	Porcellio
Species:	Porcellio hoffmannseggii Brandt, 1833

Porcellio hoffmannseggii is a species of Giant Porcellio primarily native to the southernmost third of Spain. Also known as “titan" isopods, they are one of the simplest and most iconic species of large Porcellio. Porcellio hoffmannseggii is one of a number a species often claimed as the largest isopod in the hobby. Porcellio hoffmannseggii is very frequently misspelled, usually missing one of the doubled letters.

General Information

Description

Porcellio hoffmannseggii is a large and humidity-intolerant species, typically gray with a smooth, faceted body. However, one subspecies has a more granulated, scaber-like appearance. They exhibit some degree of territorial and parental behavior. They are sexually dimorphic, with male Porcellio hoffmannseggii having very long uropods compared to females, allowing them to be easily sexed. This species has a high rate of mortality in humid conditions, being specialized for environments too arid for most isopods. However, access to environmental moisture is still critical for respiration and this species, like others, may desiccate.

Background

Porcellio hoffmannseggii was described by Brandt in 1833. The taxon is currently divided into four subspecies, two of which are known to be in the hobby trade. A similar species, Porcellio magnificus, was originally described as an additional subspecies of P. hoffmannseggii, but was later elevated to the species level. When abbreviated, P, hoffmannseggi may easily be confused with Platyarthrus hoffmannseggii. The species is thought to have entered the hobby sometime in 2015.

Taxonomy

Taxonomic characters of Porcellio hoffmannseggii:

• Its suborder is Oniscidea, which means it is fundamentally characterized by a number of key adaptations to terrestrial life.
• Its zoosection is Crinocheta, which means it belongs to the largest individual lineage of terrestrial isopods, typically unified by the presence of three (or sometimes 4) flagellomeres.
• Its family is Porcellionidae, which means it has "double-jointed" antennae, two pairs of pleopodal lungs, and a flattened body with which it is unable to conglobate.
• Its genus is Porcellio, which means something to somebody, I hope.

Morphology

Morphological reference images for Porcellio hoffmannseggii:

Antennal flagellum
Notes:	Antennal flagellum
Credit:	N/A

Telson
Notes:	Telsons are cool.
Credit:	N/A

Pleopodal lungs
Pleopodal lungs photo
Notes:	This species has two pairs of pleopodal lungs.
Credit:	N/A

etc. This section really needs to be looked at by someone like Sumeriandemon before we get a template going.

Varieties

Name	Type	In Hobby	Originator	Market(s)	Notes
Porcellio hoffmannseggii hoffmannseggii	Nominate	Since 2015	?	US, CA, UK, EU, SEa	Canonical variety.
Porcellio hoffmannseggii sordidus	Subspecies	Yes	Let Me Bug You	UK, EU	Granulated appearance.
Porcellio hoffmannseggii "Chocolate"	Morph	Yes	Smug Bug	US, CA, UK, EU, SEa	Isolated from natural color variation.
Porcellio hoffmannseggii "Orange"	Morph	Yes	?	UK, EU, SEa	Isolated from mutation.
Porcellio hoffmannseggii "Black"	Locality	Yes	?	US, CA, UK, EU, SEa	Non-canonical wild type.
Porcellio hoffmannseggii "Yeti"	Morph	Yes	?	UK, EU	Whiteout mutation.

Husbandry

What if I don't care?

Trivia

• Get your own.

Sources

Where I'd put sources, had I used any.