Ligia | |
---|---|
Ligia oceanica | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Malacostraca |
Order: | Isopoda |
Suborder: | Oniscidea |
Family: | Ligiidae |
Genus: | Ligia Fabricius, 1798 |
Type species | |
Ligia oceanica |
Ligia is a genus of isopods, commonly known as rock lice or sea slaters. Most Ligia species live in tidal zone cliffs and rocky beaches, but there are several fully terrestrial species which occur in high-humidity environments.
Coastal Ligia species exhibit a mixture of terrestrial and marine characteristics, drying out easily, needing moist air and proximity to water to retain water. [1] While they have gills and can exchange gas under water, they only do so when escaping terrestrial predators or being dislodged by wave action. They do not move swiftly in the water and are open to marine predation. They are well adapted to rocky surfaces and avoid sand, which opens them to terrestrial predation and desiccation. [2]
It has been suggested that Ligia is more closely related to marine isopods than it is to true woodlice. [3] [4]
Species separation is at times difficult because of sexual dimorphism. For example, males usually have longer and wider antennae than females. The males also tend to be larger but narrower, with the difference sometimes attributed to the female's brood pouch. [5] Complicating matters is the possible existence of cryptic species in the genus. [6]
This is a list of all Ligia species contained in A Bibliography of Terrestrial Isopods: [7] [8]
Isopoda is an order of crustaceans. Members of this group are called isopods and include both aquatic species, and terrestrial species such as woodlice. All have rigid, segmented exoskeletons, two pairs of antennae, seven pairs of jointed limbs on the thorax, and five pairs of branching appendages on the abdomen that are used in respiration. Females brood their young in a pouch under their thorax called the marsupium.
The Hawaiian lobelioids are a group of flowering plants in the bellflower family, Campanulaceae, subfamily Lobelioideae, all of which are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. This is the largest plant radiation in the Hawaiian Islands, and indeed the largest on any island archipelago, with over 125 species. The six genera involved can be broadly separated based on growth habit: Clermontia are typically branched shrubs or small trees, up to 7 metres (23 ft) tall, with fleshy fruits; Cyanea and Delissea are typically unbranched or branching only at the base, with a cluster of relatively broad leaves at the apex and fleshy fruits; Lobelia and Trematolobelia have long thin leaves down a single, non-woody stem and capsular fruits with wind-dispersed seeds; and the peculiar Brighamia have a short, thick stem with a dense cluster of broad leaves, elongate white flowers, and capsular fruits. The relationships among the genera and sections remains unsettled as of April 2022.
Ligia oceanica, the sea slater, common sea slater, or sea roach, is a woodlouse, living in the littoral zone—rocky seashores of the European North Sea and Atlantic coastlines.
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.
Woodlice or roly-polies, are terrestrial isopods in the suborder Oniscidea. Their name is derived from being often found in old wood, and from louse, a parasitic insect, although woodlice are neither parasitic nor insects.
Trichoniscus pusillus, sometimes called the common pygmy woodlouse, is one of the five most common species of woodlice in the British Isles. It is acknowledged to be the most abundant terrestrial isopod in Britain. It is found commonly across Europe north of the Alps, and has been introduced to Madeira, the Azores and North America.
Androniscus dentiger, the rosy woodlouse or pink woodlouse, is a species of woodlouse found from the British Isles to North Africa.
Reductoniscus costulatus is a species of woodlouse in the family Armadillidae. In the wild, R. costulatus has been found in Mauritius, the Seychelles and Hawaii, including the islands of Oʻahu and Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi. It was discovered in the Palm House at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in 1948, 1976 and 1988, and has been found in greenhouses across Europe.
Ligia exotica, also called sea roach or wharf roach, is a woodlouse-like isopod, a sea slater in the family Ligiidae. It is found in various parts of the world living on rocky coasts and harbour walls just above high water mark.
Mesoniscus is a genus of woodlice, placed in its own family, Mesoniscidae, and section, Microcheta. It contains two species – Mesoniscus alpicolus and Mesoniscus graniger – that live in Central and Eastern Europe, mostly in and around caves.
Porcellio siculoccidentalis is a species of woodlouse in the genus Porcellio, which is endemic to western Sicily.
Deto echinata, the horned isopod, is a species of air-breathing isopod, or woodlouse, in the family Detonidae. It inhabits seashores in southern Africa and on some oceanic islands.
Cubaris murina, commonly known as the little sea isopod or little sea roly poly, is a species of woodlouse in the family Armadillidae. It is found in North America, Africa, South America, Australasia, tropical Asia, and the Pacific Ocean.
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.
Iridovirus armadillidium1, known formerly as Invertebrate iridescent virus 31 (IIV-31) and informally as isopod iridovirus, is a species of invertebrate iridescent virus in the genus Iridovirus. Oniscidea serve as hosts. Infection is associated with decreased responsiveness in the host, increased mortality and the emergence of an iridescent blue or bluish-purple colour due to the reflection of light off a paracrystalline arrangement of virions within the tissues.
Styloniscus manuvaka is a species of terrestrial isopod endemic to the islands of Rapa Nui and Rapa Iti. Its name is an epithet in the Rapa Nui language that translates roughly to "Canoe Bug". The name references the Canoe Bug Hypothesis which holds this species colonized these islands alongside ancient Polynesians via transplanted "Canoe Plants" such as banana, taro, and breadfruit. While this species is presently known only by relict populations in caves on Rapa Nui, its status on Rapa Iti is unknown. Another "Canoe Bug", Hawaiioscia rapui, is the only other terrestrial isopod species native to Rapa Nui.
Hawaiioscia rapui is a species of terrestrial isopod endemic to the islands of Rapa Nui and Motu Motiro Hiva in the South Pacific Ocean. The animal's current range is collectively known as the Rapa Nui Marine Protected Area. The epithet, "rapui", honors Sergio Rapu Haoa, a humanitarian, archaeologist, anthropologist, and politician of Rapanui descent. This species was initially considered a relict species known only to Rapa Nui caves. Specimens collected in 2016 revealed it also occurs in littoral habitats on the north shore of Rapa Nui and on Motu Motiro Hiva, a small uninhabited island 414 km east by northeast of Rapa Nui. Given the range extension into littoral areas, this isopod is considered a halophilic species. Although determining how this animal dispersed between Rapa Nui and Motu Mitiro Hiva will require additional research, it is tentatively considered a "Canoe Bug". This name is derived from the Canoe Bug Hypothesis which holds this species colonized these islands alongside ancient Polynesians via transplanted "Canoe Plants" such as banana, taro, and breadfruit. Styloniscus manuvaka, another "Canoe Bug", is the only other native isopod species known to Rapa Nui.
Hawaiioscia is a genus of woodlouse known from the Hawaii, Rapa Nui, and Costa Rica. The genus was originally described from Hawaii on the presence of four troglobitic species on separate islands. A species within this genus was then described from Rapa Nui which lacked troglobtic traits, but only persists in cave-dwelling relict populations. Surprisingly, another species was then described from along the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica.