Androniscus dentiger

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Androniscus dentiger
File:Androniscus dentiger (cropped).jpg
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Isopoda
Suborder: Oniscidea
Family: Trichoniscidae
Genus: Androniscus
Species:
A. dentiger
Binomial name
Androniscus dentiger
Verhoeff, 1908 [1]
Synonyms [2]
  • Androniscus africanus
  • Androniscus alpinus
  • Androniscus carli
  • Androniscus weberi
  • Androniscus wolfi
  • Itea dentiger
  • Stenasellus hazeltoni
  • Trichoniscus dentiger

Androniscus dentiger, the rosy woodlouse or pink woodlouse, is a species of woodlouse found from the British Isles to North Africa.[3]

Description

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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]

Ecology

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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]

Subspecies

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According to some authors, A. dentiger may be considered a complex of sibling species or cryptic species .[3] Six subspecies are recognised:[1]

  • Androniscus dentiger africanus Arcangeli, 1939
  • Androniscus dentiger caecus Brian, 1938
  • Androniscus dentiger calcivagus Verhoeff, 1908
  • Androniscus dentiger croaticus Strouhal, 1939
  • Androniscus dentiger dentiger Verhoeff, 1908
  • Androniscus dentiger ligulifer Verhoeff, 1908

See also

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References

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