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I found a bright purple roly poly in my garden. What caused it to be that color?

April 26, 2017bright caused color garden Poly Purple roly

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I found a bright purple roly poly in my garden. What caused it to be that color?

1 Answer

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10 Posted

There is a type of virus called an “iridovirus” that attacks terrestrial isopods (roly polys or pill bugs) and forms crystals beneath their external skeleton (shell or cuticle). The accumulation of these crystals causes their appearance to change from the normal gray or brown to a bright blue, violet or purple. The virus is not dangerous to humans and cannot be “caught” from the roly poly.