''Lekanesphaera'' is a genus of
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 ...
in the family
Sphaeromatidae
Sphaeromatidae (marine pillbug family) is a family of isopods, often encountered on rocky shores and in shelf waters in temperate zones. The family includes almost 100 genera and 619 known marine species (and about 65 in fresh water). Within the ...
. It was split off from
Sphaeroma by
Karl Wilhelm Verhoeff
Karl (or Carl) Wilhelm Verhoeff (25 November 1867 – 6 December 1944) was a German myriapodology, myriapodologist and entomology, entomologist, specialising in myriapods (millipedes, centipedes, and related species) as well as woodlouse, woodlice ...
, 1943.: The
type species
In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...
is ''L. monodi'' (formerly ''Sphaeroma monodi'' Arcangeli, 1934). Other well-studied species are ''L. glabella'' (Madera), ''L. rugicauda'' (Baltic), and ''L. hookeri'' (from Scotland and southeast Sweden to Italian lagoons). Because they inhabit
intertidal zone
The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species o ...
s such as
estuaries
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...
, their adaptation to diurnal variations in factors such as salinity are often studied.
Cladogram
Lekanesphaera cladogram from the
Catalogue of Life
The Catalogue of Life is an online database that provides an index of known species of animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms. It was created in 2001 as a partnership between the global Species 2000 and the American Integrated Taxonomic Info ...
Lekanesphaera rugicauda
''Lekanesphaera rugicauda'', also called a "sea slater," is found in estuaries ranging from the Baltic, down to the Netherlands and British Isles, and south to the Bay of Biscay. It is best found in the upper intertidal of brackish waters, such as salt marsh pools, under rocks and wood.
References
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References
External links
Sphaeromatidae
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