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pill bug

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pill bug
n. In both senses also called slater, wood louse; also called regionally doodlebug.
1. A small terrestrial isopod crustacean of the genus Armadillidium closely related to the sow bug and having a convex, segmented, flexible body enabling it to curl into a ball when disturbed. In this sense also called roly-poly.
2. A sow bug.
Usage Note: Many people, especially science teachers, like to make a distinction between pill bugs and sow bugs. According to this usage, a pill bug, or roly-poly, is a terrestrial isopod crustacean whose segmented body gives it the ability to curl up into a ball when disturbed. A sow bug is any of several similar looking creatures that lack this ability. In popular usage, however, the names pill bug and sow bug, along with a number of other popular names, are used to refer to any of these tiny segmented crustaceans that are often mistaken for insects.
pill bug
n
(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) any of various woodlice of the genera Armadillidium and Oniscus, capable of rolling up into a ball when disturbed
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.pill bug - small terrestrial isopod with a convex segmented body that can roll up into a ballpill bug - small terrestrial isopod with a convex segmented body that can roll up into a ball
slater, woodlouse - any of various small terrestrial isopods having a flat elliptical segmented body; found in damp habitats
Armadillidium, genus Armadillidium - type genus of the Armadillidiidae
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Isopods are a type of crustacean that includes pill bugs, little grey bugs found in many gardens.
Life on the down low by Pegg, J.L. / Science News for Kids
They're on their hands and knees planting seeds for at least an hour every school day - 700 kids picking vegetables and fruits, tilling the soil, smelling the flowers and learning the difference between a sow bug and a pill bug.
JOY OF NATURE PLANTED IN PUPILS' HEARTS by Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)
Pill Bug Munchies How does a pill bug escape from a spider's web to eat spider's eggs?
Science Letters by Myers, Jack / Highlights for Children
 
 
 
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