- Ligia oceanica
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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 the largest oniscid isopod.[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]
See also
- List of woodlice of the British Isles
References
- ^ Helmut Schmalfuss (2003). "World catalog of terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) — revised and updated version". Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde, Serie A 654: 341 pp. http://www.oniscidea-catalog.naturkundemuseum-bw.de/Cat_terr_isop.pdf.
- ^ a b "The Care of Woodlice (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidae)". November 11, 2005. http://www.earthlife.net/insects/woodcare.html.
- ^ a b c Susie Ballerstedt (26 November 2006). "Common sea slater - Ligia oceanica". Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme. http://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/Ligiaoceanica.htm.
- ^ Juan Luis Menéndez (July 3, 2005). "Ligia oceanica (Linnaeus, 1767)" (in Spanish). Naturaleza Cantábrica. http://www.asturnatura.com/Consultas/Ficha.php?Especie=Ligia+oceanica.
- ^ Richard Fox (2001). "Invertebrate zoology laboratory exercises". Lander University. http://local.lander.edu/rsfox/310LigiaLab.html.
- ^ a b "Sea slater (Ligia oceanica)". ARKive.org. http://www.arkive.org/species/ARK/invertebrates_marine/Ligia_oceanica/more_info.html. Retrieved December 9, 2006.
Categories:- Woodlice
- Crustaceans of the Atlantic Ocean
- British Isles coastal fauna
- Animals described in 1767
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