1) the larval form of the antlion (also spelled ant lion), also known as a backward
bug or backwards
bug. It is a true insect.
2) the pill bug (a crustacean, not an insect- Order: Isopoda). Its various species are found all over the world.
English slang names include: roly poly (spelled many ways), doodlebug, woodlouse, woodbug, armadillo bug, ball bug, bowling ball bug, hardy back, potato bug, slater, chuggy
pig, butcher boy, carpenter, cheesybug, cheeselog, daddy gamfer (also spelled daddy gampfer), beetle bug, and Granny Grey. The most common slang names in
America are roly poly and doodlebug.
3) the sow bug (also a crustacean in the Order Isopoda), which looks much like the pillbug, except it can't roll up. It has some of the same slang names as the pill bug.
1) The child dropped an ant into the doodlebug's pit, and watched in facination as the sand
monster grabbed it.
2) The doodlebugs rolled up into
tiny balls each time the children flicked them with their fingers.
3) Maxie caught a doodlebug that couldn't roll up.