Aquatic sow bugs
Caecidotea spp. · Aquatic life
Whole animal · Photo: Turner Brockman / CC BY-SA
Also called Water sow bugs, Isopods, Caecidotea, Asellus, Water pill bugs
How to identify Aquatic sow bugs
- Look like a land pill bug but flatter and with longer legs
- Body flattened top to bottom, gray or brown, about 1/4 to 3/4 inch
- Seven pairs of walking legs and two long antennae
- Crawl slowly over leaves and mud rather than swimming
Similar species
Scuds are flattened side to side and swim quickly on their side. Water mites are round and have eight legs.
Profile
| Season | Present all year. |
|---|---|
| Starts | Present year round |
| Depth | Shallow bottom litter |
| How it spreads or reproduces | Carried with plants, leaves, mud and equipment |
| Habitat | Decaying leaves, muck and plant debris in ponds, springs, ditches and slow streams; tolerant of low oxygen and organic pollution. |
Why it matters in a lake
Recyclers of dead leaves and organic matter and food for fish. Large numbers with few other insects can point to heavy organic loading or low oxygen.
Where it is found
- Idaho: Occasional
- Oregon: Occasional
- Wyoming: Occasional
Classification
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Class | Malacostraca |
| Order | Isopoda |
| Family | Asellidae |
| Scientific name | Caecidotea spp. |
Scuds (Hyalella)
Signal crayfish
Scuds (Gammarus)
Virile crayfish
Red swamp crayfish
Rusty crayfish
Fairy shrimp
Tadpole shrimp
Clam shrimp
Pilose crayfishNeed a hand?
Found it in your lake?
Send us a photo and we will identify it and tell you what it means for your lake.
Idaho / Wyoming (208) 501-4531Oregon (541) 280-0596