# Question...



## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

Doing a little maintenance work this morning on my Azuerus viv and noticed a few very large, dark iso`s the size of the orange one`s.
To my knowledge I`ve never added this type of iso before.
These guys were big. Can the orange one`s throw out dark offspring?
Forget about a picture they`re in about 3 inches of decaying leaf litter.

Thanks.


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## frog dude (Nov 11, 2011)

Hey John,
Giant orange isopods are actually just a linebred form of porcellio scaber, which is basically the same exact thing as the giant oranges but a dark gray/blackish appearance. The original gray ones started to throw some funky looking orange ones, so many started selective breeding these suckers, and that is how the giant oranges we know today got their start. So if I had to guess I would say that your oranges threw some regular P. Scabers instead of the giant oranges that was expected. Since they are still the same species, just seperated loosly by genetics, the two different bugs will occasionally drop each others unique colors in with their own. 

Actually, another morph of P. Scaber started poping up in regular P. Scaber cultures and is starting to hit the market: Zebra isopods. Pretty darn cool if I do say so myself. Just to show the variability in this fascinating isopod.

Josiah

Edit: my mistake. The new black and white form of P. Scaber is called Dalmation isopods, not zebra. A zebra isopod does exist, but to my knowledge is unrelated to P. Scaber.


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## aspidites73 (Oct 2, 2012)

The trash heap has spoken! (Name thw show, get a prize!)



frog dude said:


> Hey John,
> Giant orange isopods are actually just a linebred form of porcellio scaber, which is basically the same exact thing as the giant oranges but a dark gray/blackish appearance. The original gray ones started to throw some funky looking orange ones, so many started selective breeding these suckers, and that is how the giant oranges we know today got their start. So if I had to guess I would say that your oranges threw some regular P. Scabers instead of the giant oranges that was expected. Since they are still the same species, just seperated loosly by genetics, the two different bugs will occasionally drop each others unique colors in with their own.
> 
> Actually, another morph of P. Scaber started poping up in regular P. Scaber cultures and is starting to hit the market: Zebra isopods. Pretty darn cool if I do say so myself. Just to show the variability in this fascinating isopod.
> ...


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

frog dude said:


> So if I had to guess I would say that your oranges threw some regular P. Scabers instead of the giant oranges that was expected. Since they are still the same species, just seperated loosly by genetics, the two different bugs will occasionally drop each others unique colors in with their own.


Interesting.
I had no idea they did that.


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## radiata (Jul 24, 2010)

frog dude said:


> Hey John,
> Giant orange isopods are actually just a linebred form of porcellio scaber, which is basically the same exact thing as the giant oranges but a dark gray/blackish appearance. The original gray ones started to throw some funky looking orange ones, so many started selective breeding these suckers, and that is how the giant oranges we know today got their start. So if I had to guess I would say that your oranges threw some regular P. Scabers instead of the giant oranges that was expected. Since they are still the same species, just seperated loosly by genetics, the two different bugs will occasionally drop each others unique colors in with their own.
> 
> Actually, another morph of P. Scaber started poping up in regular P. Scaber cultures and is starting to hit the market: Zebra isopods. Pretty darn cool if I do say so myself. Just to show the variability in this fascinating isopod.
> ...


I don't think you can back up your claim that Giant Oranges are _P. Scaber_ that have been linebred. I've had Calicos that produced some orange-ish offspring, but I don't think they've been bred to consistently produce orange-ish offspring. 

Orin Orin McMonigle says that "Orange _Porcellio_ were never identified by a taxonomist as _P. scaber_ and did not come from North America." ( http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/food-feeding/125098-different-isopod-stocks.html) Orin should know, he wrote the books on Isopods and is the breeder of the Calico, Dalmatian and Peach Isopods.


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## frog dude (Nov 11, 2011)

radiata said:


> I don't think you can back up your claim that Giant Oranges are _P. Scaber_ that have been linebred. I've had Calicos that produced some orange-ish offspring, but I don't think they've been bred to consistently produce orange-ish offspring.
> 
> Orin Orin McMonigle says that "Orange _Porcellio_ were never identified by a taxonomist as _P. scaber_ and did not come from North America." ( http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/food-feeding/125098-different-isopod-stocks.html) Orin should know, he wrote the books on Isopods and is the breeder of the Calico, Dalmatian and Peach Isopods.


Ok, maybe not. I do know that I got my info from different places on this board, but also mainly this guy (Home - Roach Crossing ) but upon further research I came across a quote from Michael Shrom:

Giant orange isopods are not P. scaber. They are spanish orange Porcellio sp. The term "giant orange" has crept up in the last couple years. I would not describe them as giant. I suspect some dart frog keepers started calling them giant because they are big compared to dwarf whites and purple micropods.

So perhaps I assumed, because I know for fact that dalmation isopods are linebred (under 'Dalmation' on previous link) and the breeder in the link also described giant oranges as a "strain" in which the internet defines as "A breed, stock, or variety of animal or plant developed by breeding". So, even if I am incorrect, how would you explian the dark individuals in John's vivarium? Melenisim?


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

Ok, so my question still stands.

Can the orange one`s have grey offspring?
I know for a fact that I never added the grey`s to that tank.


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## oddlot (Jun 28, 2010)

aspidites73 said:


> The trash heap has spoken! (Name thw show, get a prize!)


Fraggle rock.....What do I get for a prize 


And John I would think they could,but mine never have.

Dalmations are p scaber and sometimes throw greys which I feed out if I find any.Zebras are Armadillidium.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Enlightened Rogue said:


> Ok, so my question still stands.
> 
> Can the orange one`s have grey offspring?
> I know for a fact that I never added the grey`s to that tank.


John, I have produced...one or two giant orange isopods. While I have seen much variability in the shade of orange, I have never seen a single offspring colored grey, in any of my cultures.
I have also never received a report from anybody _culturing_ them, in more or less uncontaminated conditions, that has seen them produce a grey one. 
Yours is the first report I've seen about this, and since you report it was from "contaminated" or questionable conditions (not a culture), I would have to strongly suspect that yours came from other sources. Perhaps a single isopod carrying babies, that snuck in on a root mass, or a piece of cork bark?


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

Thanks to all for your responses.

I think I read somewhere that the grey`s will sometimes have orange offspring but that doesn`t apply to me because I have never purchased grey`s. 

Anyway, Doug is probably right..picked up a hitch hiker some where, as I have added plants and substrate to that tank over the last few months
Hey listen, it`s all good, I got some free grey`s out of it, and it could be worse it could have been a (gulp) you know what.

Thanks again everyone for taking the time


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## aspidites73 (Oct 2, 2012)

oddlot said:


> Fraggle rock.....What do I get for a prize
> 
> Dalmations are p scaber and sometimes throw greys which I feed out if I find any.Zebras are Armadillidium.


1 Free azureus tadpole, you pay for overnight shipping.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

enlightened rogue said:


> ....and it could be worse it could have been a (gulp) you know what.


*spider?...* Is that one on your leg?


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

Listen, my son broke his arm yesterday and him being the spider killer here it appears that I'm
Screwed. 
Looks like it's time to break out the bomb suit and flame thrower


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