| Ligia oceanica | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Crustacea |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Isopoda |
| Family: | Ligiidae |
| Genus: | Ligia |
| Species: | L. oceanica |
| Binomial name | |
| Ligia oceanica (Linnaeus, 1767) |
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| Synonyms [1] | |
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Ligia oceanica, the sea slater, common sea slater or sea roach, is a littoral woodlouse.
L. oceanica is oval, twice as long as broad and may reach up to 30 millimetres (1.2 in) in length, making it one of the largest oniscid isopods.[2] Its colour may vary from grey to olive-green, and it has large compound eyes and long antennae, ⅔ as long as its body.[3]
L. oceanica is found in temperate waters from Norway to the Mediterranean Sea,[4] and from Cape Cod north to Maine.[5] It is a common species, occurring wherever the substrate of the littoral zone is rocky, and is especially common in crevices and rock pools and under stones.[3] It is a nocturnal omnivore,[6] eating many kinds of seaweed, diatoms [3] and debris, with a particular fondness for bladder wrack (Fucus vesiculosus).[2]
L. oceanica individuals live for 2½–3 years and usually breed only once.[6]