woodlouse
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Etymology
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈwʊd.ˌlaʊs/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Noun
woodlouse (plural woodlice)
- Any of the terrestrial isopod crustaceans of suborder Oniscidea, which have a rigid, segmented exoskeleton, often being capable of rolling into a ball, and feed only on dead plant matter, usually living in damp, dark places, such as under stones or bark.
- 1995, Olaf Breidbach, Wolfram Kutsch, editors, The Nervous Systems of Invertebrates: An Evolutionary and Comparative Approach, page 193:
- In addition, both the woodlouse and the crayfish possess an unpaired medial nerve which runs along the whole length of the ventral nerve cord, linking adjacent ganglia.
- 2001, John L. Capinera, editor, Handbook of Vegetable Pests, page 566:
- Woodlice commonly produce offspring 1-3 times per year, with spring and autumn broods most common. Woodlice often survive for longer than a year, with longevity of 2-5 years not uncommon.
- 2011, Ruth Owen, Creepy Backyard Invaders, page 18:
- The sections allow woodlice to bend and curve their armored bodies. Some types of woodlice can roll into a tight ball. They do this to protect themselves when threatened by a predator.
Female woodlice carry their eggs in a liquid-filled pouch under their bodies. When the young woodlice hatch from the eggs, they crawl out of the pouch.
Synonyms
- (any species of suborder Oniscidea): oniscidean
- (local terms): armadillo bug, butcher boy, cham chamruam bug, cheese-bug, cheesybug, chiggypig, doodlebug, pill bug, rolly polly/roly-poly/roly poly, sowbug, sai bug, saisai gnat, saikor bug, sairynkor bug, slater
See also Thesaurus:woodlouse
Derived terms
Translations
any species of suborder Oniscidea
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Further reading
woodlouse on Wikipedia.Wikipedia 
Oniscidea on Wikispecies.Wikispecies 
Category:Oniscidea on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
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