''Armadillidium klugii'' is a lesser-known, rare
Balkan
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
,
Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...
-based species of
woodlouse
A woodlouse (plural woodlice) is an isopod crustacean from the polyphyleticThe current consensus is that Oniscidea is actually triphyletic suborder Oniscidea within the order Isopoda. They get their name from often being found in old wood. ...
, most distinguished by its colouration which resembles the red markings of the Mediterranean black widow ''
Latrodectus tredecimguttatus
''Latrodectus tredecimguttatus'', also known as the Mediterranean black widow, or the European black widow, is a species in the genus ''Latrodectus'' of the widow spiders. It is commonly found throughout the Mediterranean region, ranging from ...
''. This is probably a kind of
mimicry
In evolutionary biology, mimicry is an evolved resemblance between an organism and another object, often an organism of another species. Mimicry may evolve between different species, or between individuals of the same species. Often, mimicry f ...
, to ward off predators that mistake the harmless animal for a venomous spider.
Due to its red, yellow or white spotting, it is often called the "clown isopod".
Insect
Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...
and
isopod
Isopoda is an order of crustaceans that includes woodlice and their relatives. Isopods live in the sea, in fresh water, or on land. All have rigid, segmented exoskeletons, two pairs of antennae, seven pairs of jointed limbs on the thorax, an ...
enthusiasts usually encounter them being sold as ''A. klugii Montenegro'' or variations thereof.
Description
The maximum length of ''Armadillidium klugii'' is 21 millimetres, compared to ''
Armadillidium vulgare
''Armadillidium vulgare'', the common pill-bug, potato bug, common pill woodlouse, roly-poly, slater, doodle bug, or carpenter, is a widespread European species of woodlouse. It is the most extensively investigated terrestrial isopod species.
...
's'' 18 millimetres.
Unlike the typical black color of the dorsal plates of most ''
Armadillidium
''Armadillidium'' () is a genus of the small terrestrial crustacean known as the woodlouse. ''Armadillidium'' are also commonly known as pill woodlice, leg pebbles, pill bugs, roly-poly, or potato bugs, and are often confused with pill millipedes ...
'' species, the base coloration of ''A. klugii'' is greyish brown, and has three rows of white dots running front to back. As they age, the center row turns yellow. These pale spots are for mimicry of the
Mediterranean black widow
''Latrodectus tredecimguttatus'', also known as the Mediterranean black widow, or the European black widow, is a species in the genus ''Latrodectus'' of the widow spiders. It is commonly found throughout the Mediterranean region, ranging from ...
, which has similar rows.
Distribution
The range of ''Armadillidium klugii'' lies along the coastline of the Adriatic sea, spanning from Croatia to Montenegro. The majority of ''A. klugii'' records are clustered in Dalmatia, in the northern end of its distribution, but 5 specimens have been reported in south Albania and west Greece.
It is found under stones and in crevices.
References
External links
An Unusual Case of Mimicry
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2224976
Woodlice of Europe
Crustaceans described in 1833