Isopoda is an order of crustacean, which includes woodlice and their relatives. Members of this group are called Isopods and include both terrestrial and aquatic species. 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.
Sphaeromatidae is a family of isopods, often encountered on rocky shores and in shelf waters in temperate zones. The family includes almost 100 genera and 619 known marine species. Within these genera, there are groups that share distinctive morphologies; further research may reclassify these genus-groups as separate families.
Amphoroidea is a genus of isopod of the family Sphaeromatidae, containing the following species:
Arubolana aruboides is a species of crustacean in the family Cirolanidae. It is endemic to Bermuda.
Curassanthura is a genus of isopod crustaceans in the family Leptanthuridae. It contains the following species:
Echinodillo is a genus of woodlice in the family Armadillidae. It contains two species.
Mexilana saluposi is a species of crustacean in the family Cirolanidae, the only species in the genus Mexilana. It is endemic to Mexico.
Onchotelson is a genus of isopod crustaceans in the family Phreatoicidae, which is endemic to Tasmania. It contains two species, both of which are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List:
Styloniscus is a genus of woodlice in the family Styloniscidae. It contains the following species as of 2010:
Ligidium japonicum is a species of woodlouse found in moist forests in Japan. Individuals may live for up to two years and reach a length of 8 millimetres (0.31 in).
Iais is a genus of isopod crustaceans. Iais species are found in association with larger isopods of the family Sphaeromatidae, usually on the ventral surface of the larger animal, between the pereiopods and on the pleopods. They are native to Australasia and South America, although Iais californica and its host Sphaeroma quoyanum have invaded California, and I. californica was first described from Sausalito, California. Nine species are recognised:
The Microcerberidea are a suborder of isopod crustaceans. They are less than 2 mm (0.079 in) long, and live interstitially. They may be found in the eastern Pacific Ocean, and around the coasts of South America, Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, and India.
Paracerceis is a genus of isopod crustacean in the family Sphaeromatidae. It contains the following species:
Sphaeroma terebrans is a mangrove-boring isopod that was first documented in the United States as early as 1897. It is 8–10 millimetres (0.31–0.39 in) long, and is thought to have been introduced by wooden-hulled ships. The isopod is found throughout the Gulf of Mexico mainly in mangrove swamps of Louisiana and Florida. S. terebrans will also bore into boats, wooden pilings and other wooden structures.
Styloniscidae is a family of woodlice, including the following genera:
The Arcturidae are a family of marine isopod crustaceans in the suborder Valvifera. Members of the family resemble woodlice and are found globally in cooler areas in shallow seas.
Cirolana is a genus of isopod crustaceans.
Deto is a genus of woodlice in the family Detonidae. Members of this genus can be found along the coasts in areas of New Zealand, Namibia, South Africa and Australia.
Scutuloidea kutu is a species of marine isopods in the family Sphaeromatidae, first described by Stephenson and Riley in 1996. No subspecies are listed in the Catalog of Life. The name "kutu" was chosen as a metaphor, as the species lives on seaweed.
Scutuloidea maculata is a species of marine isopods in the family Sphaeromatidae, first described by Charles Chilton in 1883. No subspecies are listed in the Catalogue of Life.
