Ligia oceanica
Species of woodlouse From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Isopoda |
| Suborder: | Oniscidea |
| Family: | Ligiidae |
| Genus: | Ligia |
| Species: | L. oceanica |
| 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
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
References
External links
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