Ligia oceanica

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)
Synonyms [1]
  • Oniscus oceanicus Linnaeus, 1767
  • Ligia belgica Ritzema Bos, 1874
  • Ligia granulata Frey & Leuckart, 1847
  • Ligia oniscoides Brébisson, 1825
  • Ligia scopulorum Leach, 1814
  • Ligydia oceanica (Linnaeus, 1767)
  • Oniscus assimilis Linnaeus, 1767

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 2 1⁄2–3 years and usually breed only once.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Helmut Schmalfuss (2003). "World catalog of terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) — revised and updated version" (PDF). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde, Serie A. 654: 341 pp.
  2. 1 2 "The Care of Woodlice (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidae)". November 11, 2005.
  3. 1 2 3 Susie Ballerstedt (2005). "Common sea slater - Ligia oceanica". Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme. Archived from the original on August 11, 2010. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  4. ↑ Juan Luis Menéndez (July 3, 2005). "Ligia oceanica (Linnaeus, 1767)" (in Spanish). Naturaleza Cantábrica.
  5. ↑ Richard Fox (2001). "Invertebrate zoology laboratory exercises". Lander University. Archived from the original on 2006-09-03.
  6. 1 2 "Sea slater (Ligia oceanica)". ARKive.org. Retrieved December 9, 2006.
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