Armadillidium nasatum

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Armadillidium nasatum
Armadillidium nasatum 04.jpg
Armadillidium nasatum, in standard posture (above) and conglobated (below)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Superorder: Peracarida
Order: Isopoda
Suborder: Oniscidea
Family: Armadillidiidae
Genus: Armadillidium
Species:
A. nasatum
Binomial name
Armadillidium nasatum
Budde-Lund, 1833  [1]
Subspecies

Five subspecies

Armadillidium nasatum range.png
Range (UK only) [2] [3]
Synonyms   [4]
  • Armadillidium mehelyi
  • Armadillidium nasutum
  • Armadillidium quadrifrons
  • Armadillidium sorrentinum
  • Armadillidium speyeri

Armadillidium nasatum, the nosy pill woodlouse, is a large, Western European-based species of woodlouse that has been introduced to North America, along with Armadillidium vulgare also found in other parts of Europe.

Contents

Description

Morphological comparison between Armadillidium nasatum and A. vulgare Armadillidium.png
Morphological comparison between Armadillidium nasatum and A. vulgare

Armadillidium nasatum can reach lengths of up to 21 millimetres. [2] [5] Like Armadillidium depressum, it does not form a complete ball when enrolled. [2] Though similar in outwards appearance to Armadillidium vulgare in dark grey color, the main distinguishing feature is a rectangular-like protrusion ("nose") towards the apex of the head. The tail (telson) has a rounded tip with incurved sides, as opposed to most genus Armadillidium species which have a smaller, flat tail. [5] Pale longitudinal stripes spanning from head to rear are seen on some individuals, though this is variable and is not a diagnostic feature. [6]

Distribution

Armadillidium nasatum occurs in patches in southern England, with concentrated areas in its range and sporadic occurrences in Ireland. [2] It lives in dryer areas than most woodlice, is synanthropic, and is frequently found in non-inhabited areas such as railway lines and industrial waste ground. [2] Like other woodlice, it is found under stones and wood.

Subspecies

There are five recognized subspecies in the species Armadillidium nasatum: [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Armadillidium</i> Genus of woodlice

Armadillidium is a genus of the small terrestrial crustacean known as the woodlouse. Armadillidium are also commonly known as pill woodlice, leg pebbles, pill bugs, roly-poly, or potato bugs, and are often confused with pill millipedes such as Glomeris marginata. They are characterised by their ability to roll into a ball ("volvation") when disturbed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armadillidiidae</span> Family of woodlice, a terrestrial crustacean group in the order Isopoda

Armadillidiidae is a family of woodlice, a terrestrial crustacean group in the order Isopoda. Unlike members of some other woodlice families, members of this family can roll into a ball, an ability they share with the outwardly similar but unrelated pill millipedes and other animals. This ability gives woodlice in this family their common names of pill bugs or roly polies. Other common names include slaters, potato bugs, butchy boys, and doodle bugs. Most species are native to the Mediterranean Basin, while a few species have wider European distributions. The best-known species, Armadillidium vulgare, was introduced to New England in the early 19th century and has become widespread throughout North America.

<i>Armadillidium vulgare</i> Species of woodlouse

Armadillidium vulgare, the common pill-bug, potato bug, common pill woodlouse, roly-poly, slater, doodle bug, or carpenter, is a widespread European species of woodlouse. It is the most extensively investigated terrestrial isopod species. It is native to Mediterranean Europe but has accompanied humans throughout their travels and now are found, naturalized in almost all suitable ecosystems. They are kept as pets by hobbyists for their wide range of possible color variations.

<i>Porcellio scaber</i> Species of woodlouse

Porcellio scaber, is a species of woodlouse native to Europe but with a cosmopolitan distribution. They are often found in large numbers in most regions, with many species preying on them.

<i>Glomeris marginata</i> Species of millipede

Glomeris marginata is a common European species of pill millipede. It is a short millipede, rounded in cross-section, which is capable of rolling itself up into a ball ("volvation") when disturbed. This behaviour is also found in the pill woodlouse Armadillidium, with which G. marginata is often confused.

<i>Porcellio</i> Genus of woodlice

Porcellio is a genus of woodlice in the family Porcellionidae. These crustaceans are found essentially worldwide. A well-known species is the common rough woodlouse, Porcellio scaber.

<i>Porcellio laevis</i> Species of woodlouse

Porcellio laevis is a species of woodlouse in the genus Porcellio. As the species epithet laevis as well as the vernacular name "swift woodlouse" suggests, the species is capable of quick bursts of speed when provoked.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodlouse</span> Crustacean from the polyphyletic suborder Oniscidea

woodlouse is any crustacean belonging to the suborder Oniscidea within the order Isopoda. They get their name from often being found in old wood, and from louse, a parasitic insect, although woodlice are neither parasitic nor insects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gustav Budde-Lund</span> Danish zoologist

Gustav Henrik Andreas Budde-Lund was a Danish invertebrate zoologist. In 1868, he co-founded the Entomologisk Forening, alongside Rasmus William Traugott Schlick, Carl August Møller, Andreas Haas and Ivar Frederik Christian Ammitzbøll. He was a student of entomologist J. C. Schiødte, and became a leading authority on terrestrial isopods, describing over 70 genera and around 500 species. He married in 1875 and in 1885 produced his seminal work Crustacea Isopoda terrestria. The woodlouse genus Buddelundiella was named in Budde-Lund's honour by Filippo Silvestri in 1897.

A. vulgare may refer to:

<i>Armadillidium pictum</i> Species of woodlouse

Armadillidium pictum is a species of woodlouse which occurs over most of Europe, except the Mediterranean Basin and Southeast Europe. In the British Isles, it is only known from a few sites, making it by some accounts, "Britain's rarest woodlouse". Since these sites are all remote from human habitation, in Cumbria and Powys, the species is thought to be native rather than introduced.

<i>Hemilepistus reaumuri</i> Species of woodlouse

Hemilepistus reaumuri is a species of woodlouse that lives in and around the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East, "the driest habitat conquered by any species of crustacean". It reaches a length of 22 mm (0.87 in) and a width of up to 12 mm (0.47 in), and has seven pairs of legs which hold its body unusually high off the ground. The species was described in the Description de l'Égypte after the French Campaign in Egypt and Syria of 1798–1801, but was first formally named by Henri Milne-Edwards in 1840 as Porcellio reaumuri. It reached its current scientific name in 1930 after the former subgenus Hemilepistus was raised to the rank of genus.

<i>Armadillidium depressum</i> Species of woodlouse

Armadillidium depressum, the southern pill woodlouse is a large, relatively common British species of woodlouse characterized by its "splayed" appearance.

<i>Helleria brevicornis</i> Species of woodlice

Helleria brevicornis, the sole species of the monotypic genus Helleria, is a terrestrial woodlouse endemic to the islands and coastal regions of the northern Tyrrhenian sea. H. brevicornis is of interest due to its endemism, unique ecology and basal position in the suborder Oniscidea.

<i>Armadillidium atticum</i> Species of crustacean

Armadillidium atticum is a European species of woodlouse endemic to Greece. It is a relatively small species and belongs to the so called "Armadillidium insulanum complex".

<i>Armadillidium quinquepustulatum</i> Species of crustacean

Armadillidium quinquepustulatum is a European species of woodlouse endemic to France. It is a relatively small to medium-sized species that belongs to the so-called "Armadillidium maculatum group".

<i>Armadillidium phalacronum</i> Species of crustacean

Armadillidium phalacronum is a European species of woodlouse endemic to Greece. It is a relatively small-sized species that probably belongs to the so-called "Armadillidium insulanum complex".

<i>Armadillidium maculatum</i> Species of woodlouse

Armadillidium maculatum, also known as the zebra isopod or zebra pillbug is an Armadillidium species of woodlouse, named for its black and white patterns. It is native to southern France.

<i>Armadillidium album</i> Species of woodlouse

Armadillidium album, also known as the beach pill woodlouse, is a species of isopod within the family Armadillidiidae. The species is salt tolerant, inhabiting coastal sand dunes and saltmarshes within Europe. They can sometimes be found under driftwood or burrowed within grains of sand of which their colour pattern mimics.

References

  1. 1 2 "Armadillidium nasatum Budde-Lund, 1885". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Armadillidium nasatum Budde-Lund, 1885
  3. "Discover | Natural History Museum". Archived from the original on 3 August 2012.
  4. Helmut Schmalfuss (2003). "World catalog of terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) — revised and updated version" (PDF). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde, Serie A. 654: 341 pp. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-02-24. Retrieved 2015-08-02.
  5. 1 2 Powerpoint Presentation - nasatum.pdf
  6. "Armadillidium nasatum Nosy Pill Woodlouse". iNaturalist. Jul 26, 2023.