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Idan Sheizaf
Idan Sheizaf

Public Documents 1
A novel light-induced collective circular movement in Armadillo isopods
Idan Sheizaf
Eviatar Itzkiovich

Idan Sheizaf

and 2 more

November 07, 2025
Collective movement in terrestrial isopods has rarely been documented and almost never discussed. Here, we report a novel behavioral phenomenon in Armadillo isopods: large nocturnal aggregations forming coordinated circular movements involving thousands of individuals. The behavior was observed in several locations in northern Israel and could be experimentally induced using artificial white light, while magnetic fields had no effect. Image analysis revealed approximately 5,500 individuals within a single aggregation, and manual tracking confirmed a clear circular pattern. The observed sex ratio (1:4 males to females) and presence of many gravid females suggest that the behavior is not reproductive. Instead, the circular motion appears to represent a density-dependent, light-induced aggregation response. To our knowledge, this is the first formal documentation of collective circular movement in isopods, potentially arising from anthropogenic light pollution.

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