Overview
Isopods are one of the most diverse orders of , with many species living in all environments, but are most common in shallow marine waters. Unlike most crustaceans, isopods are successful on land (suborder Oniscidea, woodlice, which also includes sea slaters), although their greatest diversity remains in the deep sea (suborder Asellota). There are also several parasitic species within the genus Cymothoa, commonly known as "tongue-biters" for their habit of nibbling off fishes' tongues and attaching themselves to the floor of the host's mouth. The isopods are an ancient group with fossils known from the Carboniferous (suborder Phreatoicidea, family Paleophreatoicidae) that only differ slightly from modern southern hemisphere freshwater phreatoicideans. There are 4000 known species1].
Appearance
Isopods have three main body parts; the head, thorax, and abdomen. They have one prominent pair of antennae which are used to search and taste and smell food and have a second pair which are not seen, and seven pairs of legs. Isopods have seven separate appendages on the thorax and paired appendages at the end of the abdomen called uropods. Isopods vary in color from dark gray to white, with and without pattern.
Other Names
Various colloquial names for assorted Isopoda include Woodlouse, Roly-Poly, sowbug, and potato bug. They are also called Pill Bugs.
Photos
Taxonomy
The Order Isopoda is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Suborder (10): Anthuridea · Asellota · Calabozoidea · Epicaridea · Flabellifera · Gnathiidea · Microcerberidea · Oniscidea · Phreatoicidea · Valvifera
- Infraorder (4): Bopyrina · Cryptoniscina · Ligiamorpha · Tylomorpha
- Family (130): Acanthaspidiidae · Actaeciidae · Aegidae · Agnaridae · Alloniscidae · Amphisopodidae · Ancinidae · Antarcturidae · Antheluridae · Anthuridae · Anuropidae · Arcturidae · Arcturididae · Armadillidae · Armadillidiidae · Asellidae · Atlantasellidae · Austrarcturellidae · Balloniscidae · Barybrotidae · Bathynataliidae · Bathytropidae · Berytoniscidae · Bopyridae · Buddelundiellidae · Cabiropidae · Calabozoidae · Chaetiliidae · Cirolanidae · Corallanidae · Crinoniscidae · Cryptoniscidae · Cylisticidae · Cymothoidae · Cyproniscidae · Dajidae · Delatorreidae · Dendrotiidae · Dendrotionidae · Desmosomatidae · Detonidae · Dubioniscidae · Echinothambematidae · Entoniscidae · Eubelidae · Eurycopidae · Expanathuridae · Gnathidae · Gnathiidae · Gnathostenetroididae · Hadromastacidae · Halophilosciidae · Haplomunnidae · Haploniscidae · Hekelidae · Hemioniscidae · Holidoteidae · Holognathidae · Hypsimetopodidae · Hyssuridae · Idoteidae · Ilyarachnidae · Irmaosidae · Ischnomesidae · Janirellidae · Janiridae · Joeropsididae · Katianiridae · Keuphyliidae · Leptanthuridae · Ligiidae · Limnoriidae · Macrostylidae · Mesoniscidae · Mesosignidae · Microcerberidae · Microparasellidae · Mictosomatidae · Munnidae · Munnopsidae · Munnopsididae · Nannoniscidae · Nichollsiidae · Olibrinidae · Oniscidae · Paramunnidae · Paranthuridae · Philosciidae · Phoratopodidae · Phreatoicidae · Phreatoicopsidae · Plakarthriidae · Platyarthridae · Pleurocopidae · Ponderellidae · Porcellionidae · Protognathiidae · Protojaniridae · Pseudarmadillidae · Pseudidotheidae · Pseudojaniridae · Pseudomesidae · Pudeoniscidae · Rectarcturidae · Rhyscotidae · Santiidae · Schoebliidae · Scleropactidae · Scyphacidae · Serolidae · Spelaeoniscidae · Sphaeromatidae · Sphaeroniscidae · Stenasellidae · Stenetriidae · Stenoniscidae · Styloniscidae · Tainisopidae · Tecticipitidae · Tendosphaeridae · Thambematidae · Titaniidae · Trachelipodidae · Trichoniscidae · Tridentellidae · Turanoniscidae · Tylidae · Vermectiadidae · Xenarcturidae · Xenosellidae
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 10,185 species and subspecies in the Order Isopoda.
Families
Acanthaspidiidae
Actaeciidae
Aegidae
Agnaridae
Alloniscidae
Amphisopodidae
Ancinidae
Antarcturidae
Antheluridae
Anthuridae
Anuropidae
Arcturidae
Arcturididae
Armadillidae
Armadillidiidae
Armadillidiidae is a of woodlice, a terrestrial crustacean group in the order Isopoda. Unlike members of the family Porcellionidae, members of this family can roll into a ball, giving them their common name of "pill bug", "Woodlouse", "potato bug", "doodlebug", or the more recent and increasingly popularized term, "roly-poly", which has been used regionally as early as 1968. Uncited references also date use of the term in Texas as early as 1925. [more]
Asellidae
Atlantasellidae
Atlantasellus is a genus of , and the only member of the family Atlantasellidae . It contains the following species: [more]
Austrarcturellidae
Balloniscidae
Barybrotidae
Bathynataliidae
Bathytropidae
Berytoniscidae
Bopyridae
Buddelundiellidae
Buddelundiellidae are a family of (woodlice). [more]
Cabiropidae
Calabozoidae
Chaetiliidae
Cirolanidae
Corallanidae
Crinoniscidae
Cryptoniscidae
Cylisticidae
Cymothoidae
Cymothoidae is a of isopods. Several species are parasites, usually of fish. These include the bizarre "tongue-biter", Cymothoa exigua. [more]
Cyproniscidae
Dajidae
Delatorreidae
Dendrotiidae
Dendrotionidae
Desmosomatidae
Detonidae
Dubioniscidae
Echinothambematidae
Entoniscidae
Eubelidae
Eurycopidae
Expanathuridae
Gnathidae
Gnathiidae
Gnathiidae is a of crustaceans. Many species belonging to the Gnathiidae are parasites of fish. [more]
Gnathostenetroididae
Hadromastacidae
Halophilosciidae
Haplomunnidae
Haploniscidae
Hekelidae
Hemioniscidae
Holidoteidae
Holognathidae
Hypsimetopodidae
Hyssuridae
Idoteidae
Ilyarachnidae
Irmaosidae
Ischnomesidae
Janirellidae
Janiridae
Joeropsididae
Katianiridae
Keuphyliidae
Leptanthuridae
Ligiidae
Limnoriidae
A Gribble is a french hillbilly. [more]
Macrostylidae
Mesoniscidae
Mesosignidae
Microcerberidae
Microparasellidae
Mictosomatidae
Munnidae
Munnopsidae
Munnopsididae
Nannoniscidae
Nichollsiidae
Olibrinidae
Oniscidae
Paramunnidae
Paranthuridae
Philosciidae
A Family in the Kingdom Animalia. [more]
Phoratopodidae
Phreatoicidae
Phreatoicopsidae
Plakarthriidae
Platyarthridae
Pleurocopidae
Ponderellidae
Porcellionidae
Porcellionidae is a terrestrial family of the order . The species classified here cannot roll into a ball, as opposed to the species of family Armadillidiidae, which can. [more]
Protognathiidae
Protojaniridae
Pseudarmadillidae
Pseudidotheidae
Pseudojaniridae
Pseudomesidae
Pudeoniscidae
Rectarcturidae
Rhyscotidae
Santiidae
Schoebliidae
Scleropactidae
Scyphacidae
Serolidae
Spelaeoniscidae
Sphaeromatidae
Sphaeromatidae is a of isopods. [more]
Sphaeroniscidae
Stenasellidae
Stenetriidae
Stenoniscidae
Styloniscidae
Tainisopidae
Tecticipitidae
Tendosphaeridae
Thambematidae
Titaniidae
Trachelipodidae
Trichoniscidae
Trichoniscidae are a family of (woodlice). [more]
Tridentellidae
Turanoniscidae
Tylidae
Vermectiadidae
Xenarcturidae
Xenosellidae
More info about the Family Xenosellidae may be found here.
References
- ^ Walters, Martin & Johnson, Jinny. The World of Animals. Bath, Somerset: Parragon, 2007.
Sources
- The text on this page is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It includes material from Wikipedia retrieved Friday, November 14, 2008.
- The distribution map on the Distribution tab comes from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and is used with permission.
- Photographs on this page are copyrighted by individual photographers, and individual copyrights apply.
- The GMapImageCutter is used under license from the UCL Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis.
- The technology underlying this page, including the Image Browser and controls behind Keep Exploring, is owned by the BayScience Foundation. All rights are reserved.