U.S. Federal Department of Agriculture defines terrestrial isopods as pests (land-dwelling isopods can damage crops and ornamental plants).
As of September 2023, these are the only species that the USDA (APHIS) authorizes for movement, trade, commerce, and exhibit in the U.S. Continental States:
- Armadillidium klugii
- Armadillidium maculatum
- Armadillidium nasatum
- Armadillidium vulgare
- Atlantoscia floridiana
- Cylisticus convexus
- Cubaris murina (Cubaris sp.)
- Oniscus asellus
- Porcellio dilatatus
- Porcellio laevis
- Porcellio scaber
- Porcellio spinicornis
- Porcellionides floria
- Porcellionides pruinosus
- Porcellionides virgatus
- Rhyscotus texensis
- Trachelipus rathkii
- Trichoniscus pusillus
- Trichorina tomentosa
- Venezillo arizonicus
- Venezillo parvus
Any other genus or species not listed are federally illegal in the USA (per USDA).
- Additionally, States may prohibit any of these as well.
We work with the USDA to only ship permitted terrestrial isopods and springtails. We apologize for any inconvenience that this causes, and we hope the USDA will be able to make more isopods available for our community in the future. Contact the USDA agency APHIS (Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service) for any questions.
This information was received through the APHIS permitting process. Holy-Poly Isopods LLC is not responsible for any information that is changed or received outside of the facts we received from the USDA.