Ligia oceanica, the sea slater, common sea slater, or sea roach, is a woodlouse, living in the littoral zone—rocky seashores of the European North Sea and Atlantic coastlines.
| Ligia oceanica | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Isopoda |
| Suborder: | Oniscidea |
| Family: | Ligiidae |
| Genus: | Ligia |
| Species: | L. oceanica
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| Binomial name | |
| Ligia oceanica | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
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L. oceanica is oval, twice as long as broad, and may reach up to 30 mm (1.2 in) in length, making it one of the largest oniscid isopods,[2][3] although its placement in this suborder is dubious given more recent molecular phylogeny data suggesting a closer relationship with Valvifera and Sphaeromatidea.[4] Its colour may vary from grey to olive green, and it has large compound eyes and long antennae, two-thirds as long as its body.[2] They are found in temperate waters from Norway to the Mediterranean Sea,[5] and from Cape Cod north to Maine.[6] 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.[2] It is a nocturnal omnivore,[7] eating many kinds of seaweed, diatoms,[2] and detritus, with a particular fondness for bladder wrack (Fucus vesiculosus).[3] Individuals live for 21⁄2–3 years and usually breed only once.[7]
Genome
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The mitochondrial genome of L. oceanica was sequenced in 2006. It is a circular, double-stranded DNA molecule, with a size of 15,289 base pairs. Although gene order is not conserved among isopods, L. oceanica shows a similarly derived gene order to Idotea balthica, compared to the arthropod ground pattern, but the positions of three tRNA genes differ in the two isopod species.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Helmut Schmalfuss (2003). "World catalog of terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) — revised and updated version" (PDF). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde, Serie A. 654: 341 pp.
- ^ a b c d Susie Ballerstedt (2005). "Common sea slater - Ligia oceanica". Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme. Archived from the original on May 15, 2011. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
- ^ a b "The Care of Woodlice (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidae)". November 11, 2005. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ "Ligia oceanica (Linnaeus, 1767)". British Myriapod and Isopod Group. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ Juan Luis Menéndez (July 3, 2005). "Ligia oceanica (Linnaeus, 1767)" (in Spanish). Naturaleza Cantábrica.
- ^ Richard Fox (2001). "Invertebrate zoology laboratory exercises". Lander University. Archived from the original on 2006-09-03.
- ^ a b "Sea slater (Ligia oceanica)". ARKive.org. Archived from the original on 2006-05-17. Retrieved December 9, 2006.
- ^ Kilpert, Fabian; Podsiadlowski, Lars (2006). "The complete mitochondrial genome of the common sea slater, Ligia oceanica (Crustacea, Isopoda) bears a novel gene order and unusual control region features". BMC Genomics. 7: 241. doi:10.1186/1471-2164-7-241. PMC 1590035. PMID 16987408.
External links
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Media related to Ligia oceanica at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Ligia oceanica at Wikispecies- Photos of Ligia oceanica on Sealife Collection
