Common rough slater fact sheet | Field of Mars EEC

What are common rough slaters?

The common rough slater (Porcellio scaber) is a land-living crustacean. It belongs to a group called the isopods, which also includes pill bugs. Common rough slaters were introduced from Europe and are now widespread in Australia. They are often found in damp places such as under logs, rocks, bark, mulch and leaf litter.

A common rough slater is different from a pill bug. Pill bugs can roll into a tight ball when disturbed, but common rough slaters cannot. Common rough slaters have a flatter body, a rougher upper surface and small tail-like appendages called uropods that stick out at the back.

A common rough slater has a flattened, segmented body and long antennae.

What does a common rough slater look like?

A common rough slater has an oval, flattened body made of overlapping hard plates. The top of the body looks slightly rough or bumpy, which gives it its common name. It has seven pairs of walking legs and long antennae that help it explore dark spaces. At the back, two pointed uropods extend beyond the end of the body.

A common rough slater has a flattened body, rough upper surface and tail-like uropods at the rear.

Where do common rough slaters live?

Common rough slaters live in cool, moist places where they are protected from drying out. They are often found under logs, rocks, bark, mulch, pot plants and leaf litter. They are usually more active at night or in damp weather. During the day they hide in shaded places because their bodies lose water easily.

At Field of Mars, students are most likely to find common rough slaters in leaf litter, beneath logs, around rotting wood and in damp garden edges or bushland habitats.

Common rough slaters hide in damp places such as bark, logs and leaf litter.

What do common rough slaters eat?

Common rough slaters are mostly detritivores, which means they feed on decaying organic matter. They eat dead leaves, rotting wood, fungi and other plant material that is breaking down. This helps recycle nutrients back into the soil. Sometimes, if large numbers are present, they may also nibble soft young plants, but their main role is as decomposers.

Common rough slaters help break down dead plant material on the forest floor.

What is the life cycle of a common rough slater?

After mating, the female carries her eggs in a fluid-filled brood pouch, also called a marsupium, under her body. When the young hatch, they stay in the pouch for a short time before coming out. The young are called mancae. They look like tiny adults, but they begin life with only six pairs of legs. After moulting, they gain the seventh pair. Common rough slaters do not go through metamorphosis. They grow by moulting into larger versions of themselves.

Female common rough slaters carry eggs and young in a fluid-filled brood pouch called a marsupium.

What adaptations do common rough slaters have to help them survive?

Common rough slaters have several adaptations that help them survive on land. Their hard exoskeleton helps protect them. Their flattened bodies let them squeeze into narrow cracks and hide under logs or bark. Their antennae help them sense their surroundings in dark places. They stay in damp habitats because they can lose water easily, and they are often active at night when conditions are cooler and less dry. Unlike pill bugs, common rough slaters do not roll into a ball. Instead, they rely on camouflage, hiding places and their tough body for protection. The rough, hard exoskeleton helps common rough slaters stay protected and blend into bark and soil.

Why are common rough slaters important?

Common rough slaters are important decomposers. By feeding on dead plant material, they help break it into smaller pieces so nutrients can return to the soil. They are also part of the food web and may be eaten by spiders, centipedes, beetles, frogs, lizards and birds. Common rough slaters are decomposers that help recycle dead plant material into the soil.

How can you help common rough slaters?

You can help common rough slaters by protecting the damp habitats they need. Leave some leaf litter, fallen bark and logs in gardens and bushland. Avoid disturbing every rock or log, and return them carefully after looking underneath. Reducing unnecessary pesticide use also helps protect common rough slaters and other small decomposers. Leaf litter and loose bark provide food, shelter and moisture for slaters and other decomposers.

Related fact sheets

More invertebrate fact sheets

• Invertebrate fact sheets – overview
• Crustaceans fact sheet – broader group including pill bugs, slaters and other crustaceans
• Pill bugs fact sheet – compare common rough slaters with the rolling pill bug
• Millipede fact sheet – another decomposer often found under logs and in leaf litter
• Centipede fact sheet – a predator that shares the same moist log and leaf-litter habitats
• Earthworms fact sheet – another important decomposer in damp soil and litter

Habitats and ecosystems

• Leaf litter habitats fact sheet – the main habitat for slaters

• Rock and log habitats fact sheet – fallen logs and rotting wood shelter slaters

• Eucalypt forest fact sheet– one bushland habitat where common rough slaters may be found

• Field of Mars Reserve fact sheet – explains the reserve habitats

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