What characteristic is shared by the pill millipedes and true woodlice?
Answer
A convergent trait of rolling up for defense
Pill millipedes are often confused with woodlice because they share the visible trait of being able to roll into a ball for defense. However, this similarity is an example of convergent evolution, meaning the trait evolved independently in separate lineages to solve a similar environmental pressure (defense). True woodlice are crustaceans belonging to the Isopoda order, while pill millipedes belong to the myriapods. Therefore, while their defensive posture looks similar, their underlying evolutionary history and taxonomic classification are distinct, meaning their rolling ability is a convergence, not a shared ancestral trait.
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