''Ligidium hypnorum'' is a
species of
woodlouse found across Europe and
western Asia.
It is a fast-moving, active species whichthat rarely grows longer than .
[ accessed through the NERC Open Access Research Archive (NORA)] It is dark and shiny, and is similar in appearance to the common species ''
Philoscia muscorum
''Philoscia muscorum'', the common striped woodlouse or fast woodlouse, is a common European woodlouse. It is widespread in Europe, the British Isles and is found from southern Scandinavia to the Ukraine and Greece. It has also spread to Washingto ...
'', and also the rarer ''
Oritoniscus flavus''.
In
Great Britain, it was first discovered at
Copthorne Common,
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, in 1873, and most later records are also from
South East England.
It is considered a good
indicator species
A bioindicator is any species (an indicator species) or group of species whose function, population, or status can reveal the qualitative status of the environment. The most common indicator species are animals. For example, copepods and other sma ...
for
ancient woodland.
Disease
Prior to the recognition of ''
Invertebrate iridescent virus 31'' (IIV-31) in 1980, blue individuals of ''L. hypnorum'' had been discovered, which were interpreted to be new
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
, and were described as such: ''L. hypnorum coeruleum''
Lereboullet 1843 and ''L. hypnorum amethystinum''
Schöbl 1861 (in reference to
cerulean and
amethyst
Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz. The name comes from the Koine Greek αμέθυστος ''amethystos'' from α- ''a-'', "not" and μεθύσκω (Ancient Greek) / μεθώ (Modern Greek), "intoxicate", a reference to the belief that t ...
, respectively). These cases have since been reinterpreted, not as distinct taxonomic entities, but as historical findings of individuals infected with IIV-31.
See also
*
List of woodlice of the British Isles
References
External links
*
Woodlice
Crustaceans described in 1792
Taxa named by Georges Cuvier
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