Talk:Woodlouse/Rewrite 2018
Woodlice are, mostly terrestrial, Crustaceans that form the suborder Oniscidea within the Isopods. / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A woodlouse (plural woodlice) is a crustacean from the monophyletic[2] suborder Oniscidea within the isopods. The first woodlice were marine isopods which are presumed to have colonised land in the Carboniferous.[3] They have many common names and although often referred to as 'terrestrial Isopods' some species live semiterrestrialy or have recolonised aquatic environments. Woodlice in the families Armadillidae, Armadillidiidae, Eubelidae, Tylidae and some other genera can roll up into an almost perfect sphere as a defensive mechanism, others have partial rolling ability but most cannot conglobate at all.
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Woodlice | |
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Clockwise from top right: Ligia oceanica, Hemilepistus reaumuri, Platyarthrus hoffmannseggii and Schizidium tiberianum | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Malacostraca |
Order: | Isopoda |
Suborder: | Oniscidea Latreille 1802[1] |
Sections | |
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Woodlice have a basic morphology of a segmented, dorso-ventrally flattened body with 7 pairs of jointed legs, specialised appendages for respiration and like other peracarids, females carry fertilised eggs in their marsupium, through which they provide developing embryos with water, oxygen and nutrients. The immature young hatch as mancae and receive further maternal care in some species. Juveniles then go through a series of moults before reaching maturity.
While the broader phylogeny of the Oniscideans has not been settled, five Infraorders/Sections are agreed on with 3637 species validated in scientific literature in 2004[4] and 3710 species in 2014 out of an estimated total of 5000-7000 species extant worldwide.[5] Key adaptations to terrestrial life has led to a highly diverse set of animals; from the marine littoral zone and subterranean lakes to arid deserts and mountain slopes 4,725m above sea-level, woodlice have established themselves in most terrestrial biomes and represent the full range of transitional forms and behaviours for living on land.
Woodlice are widely studied in the contexts of evolutionary biology, behavioural ecology and nutrient cycling. They are popular as terrarium pets because of their varied colour and texture forms, conglobating ability and ease of care.