Water Hoglouse
Asellus aquaticus
Not assessedCrustaceanomnivore
The water hoglouse is a small freshwater crustacean that looks like a tiny armored tank. It scuttles along pond bottoms and streams, munching on decaying plants. Unlike its land-loving woodlouse cousins, this little critter spends its whole life underwater.
- Its flat body is segmented like a pillbug but built for swimming.
- It breathes through gills, needing water to survive.
- People sometimes call it a 'water louse' or 'aquatic sowbug'.
FreshwaterWetlandEuropeNorth America
Read more on WikipediaAt a glance
- Classification
- Crustacean
- Scientific name
- Asellus aquaticus
- Habitat
- Freshwater, Wetland
- Regions in this directory
- Europe, North America
- Diet
- omnivore
- Relative size
- tiny
