Bug FAQPencil Isopod
Pentidotea aculeata · Order: Isopoda · Family: Idoteidae
The pencil isopod lives in the intertidal zone along California’s coast. It is native to that same coastal intertidal region of California.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It inhabits the intertidal region along the California coast.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range is the intertidal zone of California’s coastline.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 3 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Washington, Oregon.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Idoteidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentidotea_aculeata
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-28 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-28.