''Cubaris murina'', commonly known as the little sea isopod or little sea roly poly, is a species of

woodlouse A woodlouse (plural woodlice) is an isopod crustacean from the polyphyleticThe current consensus is that Oniscidea is actually triphyletic suborder Oniscidea within the order Isopoda. They get their name from often being found in old wood. ...

in the family

Armadillidae Armadillidae is a family of woodlice (Oniscidea; terrestrial crustaceans), comprising around 80 genera and 700 species. It is the largest family of Oniscidea, and one of the most species-rich families of the entire Isopoda. Armadillids genera ...

. It is found in North America, Africa, South America,

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...

, tropical Asia, and the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

Description

''Cubaris murina'' may reach a length of 11 millimeters and a width of 5 millimeters. It is capable of rolling into a ball when disturbed; this ability is known as conglobation.

Distribution

''C. murina'' is known to occur in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Saint Thomas Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Oahu, in North America; Brazil and Cayenne, French Guiana in South America; the Seychelle Islands in the Indian Ocean, and Sumatra, Indonesia, in Southeast Asia. It is possible that the species was introduced to the Americas from Asia.

As pets

''Cubaris murina'' has become popular as a pet in the exotic animal hobby. They have practical applications in improving the health of terrariums by serving as a bioactive clean-up crew, and are also valued for the attractive appearance of some of its color morphs (slang for observed polymorphism). Known morphs of ''Cubaris murina'' in hobbyist collections include: * Papaya ''-'' A dull pink variety that is believed by some to be the expression of some form of

albinism Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albino. Varied use and interpretation of the term ...

* Glacier ''-'' An almost completely white variety with white eyes, legs, and antennae * Anemone ''-'' A variety with a calico or speckled visual pattern of orange and grey * Florida Orange ''-'' An orange variety isolated from a few wild caught individuals in Florida, which gives them their name

References

Isopoda Articles created by Qbugbot Crustaceans described in 1833 {{isopod-stub