| Androniscus dentiger | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Isopoda |
| Suborder: | Oniscidea |
| Family: | Trichoniscidae |
| Genus: | Androniscus |
| Species: | A. dentiger |
| Binomial name | |
| Androniscus dentiger | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
| |
Androniscus dentiger, the rosy woodlouse or pink woodlouse, is a species of woodlouse found from the British Isles to North Africa. [3]
Androniscus dentiger is a small woodlouse, at only 6 mm (¼ in) long, and is characteristically pink or orange in colour, with a yellow stripe along the midline of the dorsal surface, [4] which divides in two towards the animal's tail. It has large eyes for its size and a granular exoskeleton. [5]
In the British Isles, A. dentiger is found in a wide variety of habitats, including coastal areas, gardens, old quarries [4] and caves. [6] It lives where there is a significant amount of lime available, and is reported to show a preference for Anglican churchyards over Catholic ones because the older, Protestant churches used ox-blood mortar. [7]
In the south of its range, A. dentiger is primarily troglobitic, with populations in different cave systems being genetically isolated by the lack of migration between caves. [8] Animals like A. dentiger which prefer to live in caves, but are not restricted to the cave environment may be termed troglophilic. [9]
In North America, A. dentiger is only known to occur in greenhouses. [2]
According to some authors, A. dentiger may be considered a complex of sibling species or cryptic species . [3] Six subspecies are recognised: [1]