About This Project
Porcellio laevis within the pet trade has been known by hobbyists to contain multiple cultivars which appear to be unable to interbreed. This hints towards a significant amount of hidden diversity within the species. With these funds we plan to conduct a study using molecular phylogenetics as well as morphology to assess whether these cultivars represent separate cryptic species or intraspecific variation. Genetic data will be compared to data from wild species to put these findings in context.
Ask the Scientists
Join The DiscussionWhat is the context of this research?
Isopods have been shown to have high amounts of genetic diversity and many more species likely exist than what are currently known within groups considered to be one species (Raupach et al. 2022). Throughout the years isopod keepers have noticed that several cultivars/morphs of the species Porcellio laevis appear to be unable to interbreed (pers comm). We hypothesize that some of these morphs may actually represent unique species from different wild stock. We will use genetics to explore the relationships of these morphs and compare them to wild species of Porcellio by sequencing mitochondrial and nuclear genes and evaluating diversity of the likely multiple cryptic species within what is currently considered to be Porcellio laevis. This work will allow for a better understanding of the group and allow for more accurate identification of species of Porcellio in this group.
What is the significance of this project?
This project will act as an excellent example of the use of genetics to explore cryptic diversity within species kept in the hobby and open up further research into into the Porcellio laevis complex (Allam et al. 2021). It will also help bring further clarity to what species exist in the pet trade which is currently extremely understudied, with the majority of terrestrial isopods within the pet trade being undescribed and many of them are attributed to genera to which they do not belong (De Smedt et al. 2025).
What are the goals of the project?
Our goals for this project include gathering over 100 samples in total, representing 4–6 individuals from each existing morph sold within the hobby. We will sequence these specimens and use phylogenetic analyses to compare them with Porcellio sequences available on NCBI. Building phylogenetic trees that incorporate both our newly generated data and existing NCBI sequences will allow us to assess the cryptic diversity of this group. We will then dissect male specimens from each genetically distinct grouping and evaluate the dissected structures for consistent morphological differences. This will enable a morphological assessment of the species complex and help identify useful characters for comparison with additional species within this complex that aren't found in captivity.
Budget
Cultivar morphs of Porcellio laevis will be obtained from commercial and private breeders across the US. Many of these entities have agreed to donate samples for this project, so funds will be needed to cover shipping costs. The majority of the funds will go to the molecular phylogenetic assessments which include DNA extraction, PCR, and sequencing. For our molecular phylogenetic assessment we will use a combination of Cytochrome Oxidase 1 (CO1) mitochondrial gene as well as multiple nuclear genes. CO1 is widely used for DNA barcoding and so substantial data exists for reference to related wild species. CO1 has also been documented to be a useful marker for within-genera comparisons. We will also be using additional nuclear genes 28S and NAK to identify any hybrid species that have resulted from selective breeding.
Endorsed by
Project Timeline
Jul 18, 2026
Project Launched
Sep 01, 2026
All specimens Acquired
Nov 01, 2026
DNA extractions complete
Dec 30, 2026
PCR complete
Jan 16, 2027
Sequencing complete
Meet the Team
Affiliates
Affiliates
Oonagh Degenhardt
Oonagh is a student with experience in the biological sciences both professionally and from a hobbyist perspective. She specializes in work based around invertebrate and herpetofaunal subjects. Her skills include, but are not limited, to: field collection, husbandry, species identification, and morphological analyses. And is a guest researcher at the California Academy of Sciences.
In addition to these professional pursuits she also partakes in creative work in the form of wildlife photography and scientific illustration for the American Isopod and Myriapod Group (AIMG), and moderates their social media forum. Her work currently focuses on examining the biodiversity and phylogenetics of the native Armadillidae of western North America. And has began publishing systematic updates of isopoda.
Nathan T. Jones
Nathan is an interdisciplinary ecologist with professional experience in agricultural, marine, and indoor systems. Nathan's research focuses on the taxonomy and biogeographical distribution of terrestrial isopods within North and Central America. They maintain a parallel interest in the history and dynamics of the exotic pet trade, seeking to understand mass-scale human-invertebrate interactions and the microevolutionary forces of artificial selection.
Nathan currently studies at Eastern Shore Community College, conducting research on microbial community ecology within indoor environments. They plan to transfer to a four-year university to pursue a B.S. in Biology with a concentration in biotechnology. Alongside this work, they serve as a Co-founder of the American Isopod and Myriapod Group, platform curator for iNaturalist, and expert identifier on BugGuide. Their academic portfolio includes being listed as co-author on six peer-reviewed publications, along with maintaining the largest collection of terrestrial isopods from the Delmarva region. Furthermore, they have contributed to the identification of specimens deposited at the Virginia Museum of Natural History.
Lab Notes
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Project Backers
- 6Backers
- 36%Funded
- $1,067Total Donations
- $177.83Average Donation
