Information about Woodlice
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Woodlice (known by many common names; see below) are terrestrial crustaceans with a rigid, segmented, calcareous exoskeleton and fourteen jointed limbs. They form the suborder Oniscidea within the order Isopoda, with over 3,000 known species.
Ecology
Woodlice need moisture because they breathe through gills, called pseudotrachea, and so are usually found in damp, dark places, such as under rocks and logs. They are usually nocturnal and are detritivores, feeding mostly on dead plant matter. Woodlice then recycle the nutrients back into the soil. In artificial environments such as greenhouses where it can be very moist, woodlice may become abundant and damage young plants.They have a shell-like exoskeleton. As the woodlouse grows, it must progressively shed this shell. The moult takes place in two stages; the back half is lost first, followed two or three days later by the front. Woodlice are the only arthropods to moult in this way, with all others shedding their cuticle in a single process.
A female woodlouse will keep fertilised eggs in a patch on the underside of her body until they hatch into small, pink offspring. The mother then appears to "give birth" to her offspring.
Some species of woodlice are able to roll into a ball-like form when threatened by predators, leaving only their armoured back exposed. This ability, or dominant behavior, explains many of the woodlouse's common names.
Metabolic rate is temperature dependent in woodlice. In contrast to mammals and birds, invertebrates are not "self heating": the external environmental temperature relates directly to their rate of respiration.
They are not generally regarded as a serious household pest as they do not spread disease and do not damage wood or structures, however their presence can indicate dampness problems.
Aquatic isopods
Although woodlice are terrestrial crustaceans, several forms have returned to water. Although most of these are amphibian, some have become truly aquatic.Examples include some Haloniscus species from Australia (family Scyphacidae), and in the northern hemisphere several species of Trichoniscidae and Thailandoniscus annae (family Styloniscidae). Species for which aquatic life is assumed include Typhlotricholigoides aquaticus (Mexico) and Cantabroniscus primitivus (Spain) [1].
Common names
Common names for woodlice vary throughout the English-speaking world. They include: "armadillo bug" [2], "cheeselog" (Reading, Berkshire) [3], "doodlebug" (also used for the larva of an antlion) [4], "pill bug" (usually applied only to the genus Armadillidium) [2], "roly-poly" [5], "potato bug"[5], "roll up bug" [6], "slater" [7] and "sow bug" [4][5].United Kingdom
There are 37 native or naturalised species in the United Kingdom, ranging in colour and in size (3–30 mm) of which only five are common: Oniscus asellus (the common shiny woodlouse), Porcellio scaber (the common rough woodlouse), Philoscia muscorum (the common striped woodlouse), Trichoniscus pusillus (the common pygmy woodlouse) and Armadillidium vulgare (the common pill bug).Pill millipedes
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A comparison of the pill millipede Glomeris marginata and isopod Armadillidium
Fiction
- In To Kill a Mockingbird, the main character Scout pokes a "roly-poly".
- In the Pixar film A Bug's Life two supporting characters are acrobatic woodlice, "Tuck" and "Roll", who have their own ride at Disney's California Adventure Park.
- The giant creatures called Ohmu in Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind also resemble woodlice.
- In the webcomic Wigu, giant woodlice ("slagathors") are infrequently featured. They are forced to run organised races on alien planets.
- The Gustav, a mecha from the Zoids franchise, is similar in design to a woodlouse.
- In Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix, woodlice are fed to bowtruckles.
- Dink Smallwood includes the woodlouse as an enemy.
- In a Rugrats episode, Chuckie Finster kept one as a pet, but it died a few days after. Its name was Melville.
- In Salad Fingers (an underground cartoon by David Firth) there was a woodlouse which was tragically flattened when Salad Fingers tried to pet her.
- Woodlice are part of the story in the movie Tierra by Julio Medem.
- In the film , woodlice (cloportes) are a part of the title, and shots of woodlice appear during the opening credits.
- In Lexx, the Gigashadow resembles a gigantic, planet-sized woodlouse. The Lexx logo resembles a rolled-up woodlouse as well.
- In Rescue Rangers, Professor Nimnal uses his Giganto Gun to turn pillbugs in to fake aliens for extorting gold as spaceship fuel.
Gallery
''Porcellio scaber (left) and Oniscus asellus (center) | ) | ) Armadillidium vulgare rolled up | ) Philoscia muscorum |
See also
External links
- Woodlice and Pill Bugs - diagnostic photographs
- BBC nature
- Video of Woodlouse in motion
- Growing woodlice in captivity
References
1. ^ Ivo Karaman (2003). Macedonethes stankoi n. sp., a rhithral oniscidean isopod (Isopoda: Oniscidea: Trichoniscidae) from Macedonia. Organisms Diversity & Evolution 3 (8): 1-15.
2. ^ Bill Amos (2002-08-10). Little armored tanks. Caledonian-Record.
3. ^ Paul Kerswill. The sound of Reddin. BBC. Retrieved on 2006-09-17.
4. ^ "Sow bug". Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1) (2006). Retrieved on 2006-09-17.
5. ^ Bert Vaux & Scott A. Golder. Dialect Survey. Harvard University. Retrieved on 2006-09-30.
6. ^ Gail Smith-Arrants (2004-03-20). You say potato bug, I say roly-poly, you say… (PDF). Charlotte Observer.
7. ^ Maria Minor & A. W. Robertson (2006). Guide to New Zealand soil invertebrates: Isopoda. Massey University. Retrieved on 2007-05-13.
2. ^ Bill Amos (2002-08-10). Little armored tanks. Caledonian-Record.
3. ^ Paul Kerswill. The sound of Reddin. BBC. Retrieved on 2006-09-17.
4. ^ "Sow bug". Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1) (2006). Retrieved on 2006-09-17.
5. ^ Bert Vaux & Scott A. Golder. Dialect Survey. Harvard University. Retrieved on 2006-09-30.
6. ^ Gail Smith-Arrants (2004-03-20). You say potato bug, I say roly-poly, you say… (PDF). Charlotte Observer.
7. ^ Maria Minor & A. W. Robertson (2006). Guide to New Zealand soil invertebrates: Isopoda. Massey University. Retrieved on 2007-05-13.
Further reading
- Christian Schmidt & Andreas Leistikow (2004). Catalogue of the terrestrial Isopoda (Crustacea: Isopoda: Oniscidea). Steenstrupia 28 (1): 1-118. (all genera published until end of 2001)
P. scaber
Binomial name
Porcellio scaber
Latreille, 1804
Porcellio scaber (otherwise known as the common rough woodlouse or simply rough woodlouse), is a species of woodlouse.
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Binomial name
Porcellio scaber
Latreille, 1804
Porcellio scaber (otherwise known as the common rough woodlouse or simply rough woodlouse), is a species of woodlouse.
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Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. Scientific classification also can be called scientific taxonomy, but should be distinguished from folk taxonomy, which lacks scientific basis.
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Arthropoda
Latreille, 1829
Subphyla and Classes
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Latreille, 1829
Subphyla and Classes
- Subphylum Trilobitomorpha
- Trilobita - trilobites (extinct)
- Subphylum Chelicerata
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crustaceans (Crustacea) are a large group of arthropods, comprising approximately 52,000 described species [1], and are usually treated as a subphylum [2].
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Malacostraca
Latreille, 1802
Subclasses
Eumalacostraca
Hoplocarida
Phyllocarida
See text for orders.
The Malacostraca (Greek: "soft shell") are the largest subgroup of crustaceans and include most of the animals that non-experts
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Latreille, 1802
Subclasses
Eumalacostraca
Hoplocarida
Phyllocarida
See text for orders.
The Malacostraca (Greek: "soft shell") are the largest subgroup of crustaceans and include most of the animals that non-experts
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Isopoda
Latreille, 1817
Suborders
Anthuridea
Asellota
Calabozoida
Epicaridea
Flabellifera
Microcerberidea
Oniscidea
Phreatoicidea
Valvifera
Isopods
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Latreille, 1817
Suborders
Anthuridea
Asellota
Calabozoida
Epicaridea
Flabellifera
Microcerberidea
Oniscidea
Phreatoicidea
Valvifera
Isopods
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Pierre André Latreille (November 20, 1762 - February 6, 1833) was a French entomologist. His works describing insects assigned many of the insect taxa still in use today.
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order (Latin: ordo, plural ordines) is a rank between class and family (termed a taxon at that rank). The superorder is a rank between class and order. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Code which applies.
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family (Latin: familia, plural familiae) is a rank, or a taxon in that rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Code which applies.
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Buddelundiellidae
Verhoeff, 1930
Diversity
3 or 4 genera
Genera
See text
Buddelundiellidae are a family of isopods (woodlice).
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Verhoeff, 1930
Diversity
3 or 4 genera
Genera
See text
Buddelundiellidae are a family of isopods (woodlice).
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Trichoniscidae
Sars, 1899
Diversity
c. 90 genera
Genera
See text
Trichoniscidae are a family of isopods (woodlice).
Most species of woodlice that have returned to an aquatic or amphibian way of life belong to this family.
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Sars, 1899
Diversity
c. 90 genera
Genera
See text
Trichoniscidae are a family of isopods (woodlice).
Most species of woodlice that have returned to an aquatic or amphibian way of life belong to this family.
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Oniscoidea
Latreille, 1802
Families
Bathytropidae
Berytoniscidae
Detonidae
Halophilosciidae
Olibrinidae
Oniscidae
Philosciidae
Platyarthridae
Pudeoniscidae
Rhyscotidae
Scyphacidae
Speleoniscidae
Sphaeroniscidae
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Latreille, 1802
Families
Bathytropidae
Berytoniscidae
Detonidae
Halophilosciidae
Olibrinidae
Oniscidae
Philosciidae
Platyarthridae
Pudeoniscidae
Rhyscotidae
Scyphacidae
Speleoniscidae
Sphaeroniscidae
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Philosciidae
Kinahan, 1857
Diversity
c. 100 genera
Genera
See text
Philosciidae are a family of isopods (woodlice). They occur almost everywhere on earth, with most species found in (sub)tropical America, Africa and Oceania, and
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Kinahan, 1857
Diversity
c. 100 genera
Genera
See text
Philosciidae are a family of isopods (woodlice). They occur almost everywhere on earth, with most species found in (sub)tropical America, Africa and Oceania, and
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Armadillidiidae
Brandt, 1833
Genera
See text
Armadillidiidae is a family of woodlice, a terrestrial crustacean group in the order Isopoda.
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Brandt, 1833
Genera
See text
Armadillidiidae is a family of woodlice, a terrestrial crustacean group in the order Isopoda.
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Incertae sedis—"of uncertain position (seat)"—is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined.
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Examples
The taxonomy for humans is usually recognized as follows:..... Click the link for more information.
- See also Wikipedia:Naming conventions (common names) and Wikipedia:Naming conventions
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crustaceans (Crustacea) are a large group of arthropods, comprising approximately 52,000 described species [1], and are usually treated as a subphylum [2].
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An exoskeleton is an external anatomical feature that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to the internal endoskeleton of, for example, a human. Whilst many many other invertebrate animals (such as shelled mollusks) have exoskeletons in the sense of external hard
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Isopoda
Latreille, 1817
Suborders
Anthuridea
Asellota
Calabozoida
Epicaridea
Flabellifera
Microcerberidea
Oniscidea
Phreatoicidea
Valvifera
Isopods
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Latreille, 1817
Suborders
Anthuridea
Asellota
Calabozoida
Epicaridea
Flabellifera
Microcerberidea
Oniscidea
Phreatoicidea
Valvifera
Isopods
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A gill is a respiration organ that functions for the extraction of oxygen from water and the excretion of carbon dioxide. Unlike many small aquatic animals, which can absorb oxygen through the entire surface of their bodies, more complex aquatic organisms have gills specially
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nocturnality describes sleeping during the daytime and being active at night - the opposite of the diurnal human lifestyle, and that of those animals with which we are most familiar. The intermediate crepuscular schedule (twilight activity) is also common.
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Detritivores (also known as detrivores or detritus feeders) are animals that consume detritus (decomposing organic material), and in doing so contribute to decomposition and the recycling of nutrients.
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shell is a hard, rigid outer layer, which has evolved in a very wide variety of different animals, including mollusks, sea urchins, crustaceans, turtles and tortoises, armadillos, etc.
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An exoskeleton is an external anatomical feature that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to the internal endoskeleton of, for example, a human. Whilst many many other invertebrate animals (such as shelled mollusks) have exoskeletons in the sense of external hard
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Ecdysis is the moulting of the cuticula in arthropods and related groups (Ecdysozoa). Since the cuticula of these animals is also the skeletal support of the body and is inelastic, it is shed during growth and a new, larger covering is formed. The old skin is called an exuvia.
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Fertilization (also known as conception, fecundation and syngamy), is fusion of gametes to form a new organism of the same species. In animals, the process involves a sperm fusing with an ovum, which eventually leads to the development of an embryo.
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In most birds and reptiles, an egg (Latin ovum) is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum. To enable incubation the egg is usually kept within a favourable temperature range as it nourishes and protects the growing embryo.
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Metabolism is the complete set of chemical reactions that occur in living cells. These processes are the basis of life, allowing cells to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories.
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