OniscidBase: A call for contributions to a global database to advance terrestrial isopod research
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25674/466Keywords:
Functional trait, Georeferenced data, Macroecology, Soil Fauna, Species distribution, Taxonomy, Woodlice, CrustaceanAbstract
Terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea), commonly known as woodlice, are among the most recognisable soil-dwelling invertebrates and are crucial for soil functioning. They are widely distributed from temperate to equatorial ecosystems, and their distribution is strongly influenced by environmental factors, such as soil type, temperature and humidity. Terrestrial isopods have fascinated taxonomists for centuries, with over 4,100 described species across 568 genera and 38 or 39 families. These animals contribute significantly to key ecosystem processes, such as litter decomposition, nutrient cycling, and carbon sequestration. However, data on patterns of their diversity, abundance, or biomass, which are crucial for assessing their importance in ecosystem functioning worldwide, are lacking. This is partly due to the incomplete taxonomy in regions such as the tropics and the scattered nature of local georeferenced datasets. To better understand the global taxonomic patterns, species distributions, and functional roles of terrestrial isopods, we call for the compilation of a comprehensive global database that integrates taxonomy, georeferenced species records, and trait data. This database would help answer fundamental questions about the response of terrestrial isopods to environmental changes and their role in ecosystem functioning and soil health. OniscidBase, a recently launched initiative, aims to consolidate such data, facilitating the analysis of taxonomic gaps and assessing the distribution and functional importance of terrestrial isopods. The database aims to include georeferenced data on the distribution, abundance and biomass of terrestrial isopod species, and metadata on environmental parameters. Our main goals are to strengthen the taxonomic backbone for terrestrial isopods, make distribution data available for macroecological studies, and collect trait data to understand species responses to environmental changes and effects on soils. Using these data leads to a deeper understanding of the importance of terrestrial isopods as components of terrestrial ecosystems and, at the same time, highlights future research directions.
Downloads
References
A’Bear, A. D., Boddy, L., Kandeler, E., Ruess, L. & Jones, T. H. (2014). Effects of isopod population density on woodland decomposer microbial community function. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 77, 112–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2014.05.031
Alexiou, S. & Sfenthourakis, S. (2013). The terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) of Greece. Parnassiana Arch, 1, 3–50.
Anderson, J. M. (1988). Invertebrate-mediated transport processes in soils. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 24(1–3), 5–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-8809(88)90052-7
Andreev, S. (2000). Aperçu sur le genre Trichoniscus en Bulgarie et description d’une nouvelle espèce — Trichoniscus garevi n. sp. (Isopoda, Oniscidea). Historia Naturalis Bulgarica, 11, 39–46.
Ang, S. B. H., Lam, W. N., Png, G. K., Tan, S. K. B., Lee, B. P. Y.‑H., Khoo, M., Luskin, M. S., Wardle, D. A. & Slade, E. M. (2024). Isopod mouthpart traits respond to a tropical forest recovery gradient. Oecologia, 204(1), 147–159. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-023-05494-8
Araujo, P. B. & Leistikow, A. (1999). Philosciids with pleopodal lungs from Brazil, with description of a new species (Crustacea, Isopoda). Contributions to Zoology, 68(2), 109–141. https://doi.org/10.1163/18759866-06802004
Archer, H., Deiparine, S. & Andersen, E. C. (2020). The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and the terrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber likely interact opportunistically. PLOS ONE, 15(6), e0235000. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0235000
Ardestani, M. M., Van Straalen, N. M. & Van Gestel, C. A. M. (2014). Uptake and elimination kinetics of metals in soil invertebrates: A review. Environmental Pollution, 193, 277–295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2014.06.026
Arndt, E. & Mattern, D. (2005). Ecological data of isopods (Crustacea: Oniscidea) in laurelforests from the Western Canary Islands. Vieraea Folia scientiarum biologicarum canariensium, 33(Vieraea 33), 41–50. https://doi.org/10.31939/vieraea.2005.33.05
Ashwini, K. M. & Sridhar, K. R. (2005). Leaf litter preference and conversion by a saprophagous tropical pill millipede, Arthrosphaera magna Attems. Pedobiologia, 49(4), 307–316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedobi.2005.02.002
Berg, M. P., Soesbergen, M., Tempelman, D. & Wijnhoven, H. (2008). Verspreidingsatlas Nederlandse landpissebedden, duizendpoten en miljoenpoten (Isopoda, Chilopoda, Diplopoda) (Verspreidingsatlassen EIS).
Beron, P. (1997). On the high mountain Isopoda Oniscidea in the Old World. Historia Naturalis Bulgarica, 8, 55–100.
Bluhm, S. L., Eitzinger, B., Bluhm, C., Ferlian, O., Heidemann, K., Ciobanu, M., Maraun, M. & Scheu, S. (2021). The Impact of Root-Derived Resources on Forest Soil Invertebrates Depends on Body Size and Trophic Position. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 4, 622370. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2021.622370
Boeraeve, P., Arijs, G., Segers, S., Brosens, D., Desmet, P., Swinnen, K., Lambrechts, J. & De Smedt, P. (2022). Inventory of the terrestrial isopods in Belgium (2011–2020). ZooKeys, 1101, 57–69. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1101.65810
Boeraeve, P., De Smedt, P., Segers, S., Arijs, G., Lambrechts, J., Gielen, K., Swinnen, K., Desmet, P. & Brosens, D. (2022). Inventory of the terrestrial isopods in Belgium (2011–2020) [Dataset]. Natuurpunt. https://doi.org/10.15468/MW9C66
Bonfanti, J., Potapov, A. M., Angst, G., Ganault, P., Briones, M. J. I., Calderón‐Sanou, I., Chen, T., Conti, E., Degrune, F., Eisenhauer, N., Ferlian, O., Hackenberger, D., Hauer, A., Hedde, M., Hohberg, K., Krogh, P. H., Mulder, C., Perez‐Roig, C., Russell, D., … Berg, M. P. (2024). Linking effect traits of soil fauna to processes of organic matter transformation. Functional Ecology, 1365–2435. 14720. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14720
Borutzky, E. V. (1959). Materials on the fauna of terrestrial isopods (Isopoda terrestria) in the Kirghiz SSR. Zoologicheskii Zhurnal, 38, 1006–1117.
Brereton, J. L. G. (1957). The Distribution of Woodland Isopods. Oikos, 8(2), 85. https://doi.org/10.2307/3564994
Broly, P., Deville, P. & Maillet, S. (2013). The origin of terrestrial isopods (Crustacea: Isopoda: Oniscidea). Evolutionary Ecology, 27(3), 461–476. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-012-9625-8
Brousseau, P., Gravel, D. & Handa, I. T. (2018). Trait matching and phylogeny as predictors of predator–prey interactions involving ground beetles. Functional Ecology, 32(1), 192–202. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.12943
Budde-Lund, G. (1885). Crustacea Isopoda Terrestria per Familia et Genera et Species Descripta. Copenhagen, 319 pp.
Campos-Filho, I. S., Gallo, J. S., Gallão, J. E., Torres, D. F., Horta, L., Carpio-Díaz, Y. M., López-Orozco, C. M., Borja-Arrieta, R., Aguiar, J. O. & Bichuette, M. E. (2022). Unique and fragile diversity emerges from Brazilian caves – two new amphibious species of Xangoniscus Campos-Filho, Araujo & Taiti, 2014 (Oniscidea, Styloniscidae) from Serra do Ramalho karst area, state of Bahia, Brazil. Subterranean Biology, 42, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.42.75725
Cardoso, G. M., Bastos-Pereira, R., Souza, L. A. & Ferreira, R. L. (2021). Chaimowiczia: A new Iuiuniscinae genus from Brazil (Oniscidea, Synocheta, Styloniscidae) with the description of two new troglobitic species. Subterranean Biology, 39, 45–62. https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.39.65305
Carpio-Díaz, Y. M., López-Orozco, C. M., Campos-Filho, I. S. & Navas-S., G. R. (2018). Terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) of the Botanical Garden of Cartagena “Guillermo Piсeres”, Colombia, with the description of three new species. Arthropoda Selecta, 27(1), 301318-0. https://doi.org/10.15298/arthsel.27.4.05
Cochard, P.-O., Vilisics, F. & Sechet, E. (2010). Alien terrestrial crustaceans (Isopods and Amphipods). Chapter 7.1. BioRisk, 4, 81–96. https://doi.org/10.3897/biorisk.4.54
Crosby, A. W. (2004). Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900–1900 (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511805554
Crowther, T. W., Stanton, D. W. G., Thomas, S. M., A’Bear, A. D., Hiscox, J., Jones, T. H., Voříšková, J., Baldrian, P. & Boddy, L. (2013). Top‐down control of soil fungal community composition by a globally distributed keystone consumer. Ecology, 94(11), 2518–2528. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-0197.1
Crowther, T. W., Van Den Hoogen, J., Wan, J., Mayes, M. A., Keiser, A. D., Mo, L., Averill, C. & Maynard, D. S. (2019). The global soil community and its influence on biogeochemistry. Science, 365(6455), eaav0550. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aav0550
Danger, M., Cornut, J., Elger, A. & Chauvet, E. (2012). Effects of burial on leaf litter quality, microbial conditioning and palatability to three shredder taxa. Freshwater Biology, 57(5), 1017–1030. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2427.2012.02762.x
David, J. F. (2014). The role of litter-feeding macroarthropods in decomposition processes: A reappraisal of common views. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 76, 109–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2014.05.009
David, J.-F., Malet, N., Coûteaux, M.-M. & Roy, J. (2001). Feeding rates of the woodlouse Armadillidium vulgare on herb litters produced at two levels of atmospheric CO2. Oecologia, 127(3), 343–349. https://doi.org/10.1007/s004420000599
De Smedt, P., Arijs, G. & Boeraeve, P. (2017). Woodlice of the green houses at Ghent Botanical Garden and Botanic Garden Meise with two new exotic species for Belgium (Isopoda: Oniscidae). Bulletin de La Société Royale Belge d’Entomologie / Bulletin van de Koninklijke Belgische Vereniging Voor Entomologie, 153, 109–112.
De Smedt, P., Boeraeve, P., Arijs, G. & Segers, S. (2020a). De landpissebedden van België (Isopoda: Oniscidea) (Spinicornis).
De Smedt, P., Boeraeve, P., Arijs, G., Segers, S., Lambrechts, J. & Maes, D. (2022). A Red List of terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) in Flanders (northern Belgium) and its implications for conservation. Journal of Insect Conservation, 26(4), 525–535. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-022-00390-7
De Smedt, P., Wasof, S., Van De Weghe, T., Hermy, M., Bonte, D. & Verheyen, K. (2018a). Macro-detritivore identity and biomass along with moisture availability control forest leaf litter breakdown in a field experiment. Applied Soil Ecology, 131, 47–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2018.07.010
De Smedt P., Bichuette M.E. Robla J., Minor M., Orihuela-Rivero R., Karasawa S., Gardini P., Berg M.P., Rando J.L. & et al. (2025a) A new chapter for soil biodiversity: Launch of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Woodlouse Specialist Group. Oryx. doi:10.1017/S0030605325102202
De Smedt P., Jones N.T., Kästle B., Robla J., Campos Filho I.S., Sfenthourakis S., Taiti S., Verheyen K. & Szlavecz K. (2025b) Rise of terrestrial isopods in the pet trade and the need for their inclusion in trade regulation. Conservation Biology: e70166
Decaëns, T. (2010). Macroecological patterns in soil communities. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 19(3), 287–302. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1466-8238.2009.00517.x
Demin, F. A., Korobushkin, D. I. & Gongalsky, K. B. (2025). Food preferences and rate of absorption of plant residues by three species of woodlice. Arid Ecosystems, 15(1), 96–102. https://doi.org/10.1134/S2079096124700628
Den Boer, P. J. (1962). The Ecological Significance of Activity Patterns in the Woodlouse Porcellio scaber Latr. (Isopoda). Archives Néerlandaises de Zoologie, 14(3), 283–409. https://doi.org/10.1163/036551661X00070
Di Castri, F., Hansen, A. J. & Debussche, M. (Eds.). (1990). Biological Invasions in Europe and the Mediterranean Basin (Vol. 65). Springer Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1876-4
Dias, N., Sprung, M. & Hassall, M. (2005). The abundance and life histories of terrestrial isopods in a salt marsh of the Ria Formosa lagoon system, southern Portugal. Marine Biology, 147(6), 1343–1352. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-005-0033-2
Dimitriou, A. C., Soares Campos-Filho, I., Georgiou, A., Taiti, S. & Sfenthourakis, S. (2023). Intra-island patterns of cryptic diversity within an oceanic island: Insights from the differentiation of Schizidium Verhoeff, 1901 (Oniscidea, Armadillidiidae) within Cyprus, with descriptions of two new species. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 187, 107884. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107884
Dimitriou, A. C., Taiti, S. & Sfenthourakis, S. (2019). Genetic evidence against monophyly of Oniscidea implies a need to revise scenarios for the origin of terrestrial isopods. Scientific Reports, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-55071-4
Dollfus, A. (1899a). Catalogue des Crustacés isopodes terrestres (Cloportides) de France. (Fin) — La Feuille des Jeunes Naturalistes (Vol. 348).
Dollfus, A. (1899b). Catalogue des Crustacés isopodes terrestres (Cloportides) de France — La Feuille des Jeunes Naturalistes (Vol. 347).
Dominiak, B. A. (1970). Badania nad równonogami (Isopoda terrestria) Polski. Fragmenta Faunistica, 15(22), 401–471.
Eng, M. S., Preisser, E. L. & Strong, D. R. (2005). Phoresy of the entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis marelatus by a non-host organism, the isopod Porcellio scaber. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 88(2), 173–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2004.11.005
Erhard, F. (1998). Phylogenetic relationships within the Oniscidea (Crustacea, Isopoda). Israel Journal of Zoology, 44(3–4), 303–309.
Faberi, A. J., López, A. N., Clemente, N. L. & Manetti, P. L. (2011). Importance of diet in the growth, survivorship and reproduction of the no-tillage pest Armadillidium vulgare (Crustacea: Isopoda). Revista Chilena de Historia Natural, 84(3), 407–417. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0716-078X2011000300008
Ferrara, F. & Taiti, S. (1979). A check-list of terrestrial isopods from Africa (south of the Sahara). Monitore Zoologico Italiano, Nuova Serie, 89–215.
Forró, L. & Farkas, S. (1998). Checklist, preliminary distribution maps, and bibliography of woodlice in Hungary. Miscellanea Zoologica Hungarica, 12, 21–44.
Fusaro, S., Taiti, S., Dorigo, L. & Paoletti, M. G. (2024). A terrestrial isopod (Armadillidium arcangelii Strouhal, 1929) as a potential agricultural pest: A case study on melon crop (Cucumis melo L.) in Italy. Redia, 107, 31–37. https://doi.org/10.19263/REDIA-107.24.04
Gallão, J. E. & Bichuette, M. E. (2018). Brazilian obligatory subterranean fauna and threats to the hypogean environment. ZooKeys, 746, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.746.15140
Ganault, P., Barantal, S., Coq, S., Hättenschwiler, S., Lucas, S., Decaëns, T. & Nahmani, J. (2022). Leaf litter morphological traits, invertebrate body mass and phylogenetic affiliation explain the feeding and feces properties of saprophagous macroarthropods. European Journal of Soil Biology, 109, 103383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejsobi.2021.103383
Gardini, P. & Taiti, S. (2023). New Species of Terrestrial Isopods (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea) from Liguria and Surrounding Regions, Northern Italy. Diversity, 15(1), 68. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15010068
Garthwaite, R. L., Lawson, R. & Sassaman, C. (1995). Population genetics of Armadillidium vulgare in Europe and North America. Crustacean Issues, 145–1999.
Gentile, G. & Argano, R. (2005). Island biogeography of the Mediterranean sea: The species–area relationship for terrestrial isopods. Journal of Biogeography, 32(10), 1715–1726. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2005.01329.x
Gongalsky, K. B., Korobushkin, D. I., Baratova, L. A., Bastrakov, A. I., Degtyarev, M. I., Gorbunova, A. Yu., Ksenofontov, A. L., Lapa, S. A., Lebedev, I. M. & Zaitsev, A. S. (2023). Soil saprophages as an emerging global source of micronutrients. Journal of Insects as Food and Feed, 9(12), 1603–1613. https://doi.org/10.1163/23524588-20230001
Gregory, S. J. (2024). 15 years on: An update to Woodlice and Waterlice in Britain and Ireland, part 1~ Native and Naturalised Species. Bulletin of the British Myriapod & Isopod Group, 36, 1–20.
Grelle, C., Fabre, M. ‐C., Leprêtre, A. & Descamps, M. (2000). Myriapod and isopod communities in soils contaminated by heavy metals in northern France. European Journal of Soil Science, 51(3), 425–433. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2389.2000.00317.x
Gruner, H.-E. (1965). Krebstiere oder Crustacea V. Isopoda (Vol. 51). Gustav Fischer.
Harding, P. T. (2018). ‘Per Isopoda ad Adstra’ — 50 Years of Isopod Recording. Bulletin of the British Myriapod & Isopod Group, 80, 2–11.
Harding, P. T. & Sutton, S. L. (1985). Woodlice in Britain and Ireland: Distribution and habitat. Abbots Ripton.
Harper, K. A., Macdonald, S. E., Burton, P. J., Chen, J., Brosofske, K. D., Saunders, S. C., Euskirchen, E. S., Roberts, D., Jaiteh, M. S. & Esseen, P. (2005). Edge Influence on Forest Structure and Composition in Fragmented Landscapes. Conservation Biology, 19(3), 768–782. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2005.00045.x
Hartebrodt, L., Wilson, S. & Costello, M. J. (2023). Progress in the discovery of isopods (Crustacea: Peracarida) — is the description rate slowing down? PeerJ, 11, e15984. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15984
Hassall, M. (2002). Effects of spatial heterogeneity on feeding behaviour of Porcellio scaber (Isopoda: Oniscidea). European Journal of Soil Biology, 38(1), 53–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1164-5563(01)01124-4
Hassall, M. & Rushton, S. P. (1982). The role of coprophagy in the feeding strategies of terrestrial isopods. Oecologia, 53(3), 374–381. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00389017
Hedrick, B. P., Heberling, J. M., Meineke, E. K., Turner, K. G., Grassa, C. J., Park, D. S., Kennedy, J., Clarke, J. A., Cook, J. A., Blackburn, D. C., Edwards, S. V. & Davis, C. C. (2020). Digitization and the Future of Natural History Collections. BioScience, 70(3), 243–251. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biz163
Holthuis, L. (1956). Isopoda en Tanaidacea, Fauna van Nederland, v. 16. Leiden, A. W. Sijthoff.
Hopkin, S. P. (1989). Ecophysiology of metals in terrestrial invertebrates. Elsevier Applied Science.
Hornung, E. (2011). Evolutionary adaptation of oniscidean isopods to terrestrial life: Structure, physiology and behavior. Terrestrial Arthropod Reviews, 4(2), 95–130. https://doi.org/10.1163/187498311X576262
Hornung, E. (2024). Terrestrial Adaptations of Crustaceans: The Challenges of Land Adaptations and Their Solutions in Terrestrial Isopods. In S. Saleuddin, S. P. Leys, R. D. Roer & I. C. Wilkie, Frontiers in Invertebrate Physiology: A Collection of Reviews (1st ed., pp. 327–387). Apple Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003405016-8
Hornung, E., Kásler, A. & Tóth, Z. (2018). The role of urban forest patches in maintaining isopod diversity (Oniscidea). ZooKeys, 801, 371–388. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.801.22829
Hornung, E., Szlavecz, K. & Dombos, M. (2015). Demography of some non-native isopods (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea) in a Mid-Atlantic forest, USA. ZooKeys, 515, 127–143. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.515.9403
Hornung, E., Vilisics, F. & Sólymos, P. (2008). Low alpha and high beta diversity in terrestrial isopod assemblages in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. In Proceedings of the International Symposium of Terrestrial Isopod Biology (pp. 1–12). Shaker Verlag.
Hurtado, L. A., Mateos, M., Wang, C., Santamaria, C. A., Jung, J., Khalaji-Pirbalouty, V. & Kim, W. (2018). Out of Asia: Mitochondrial evolutionary history of the globally introduced supralittoral isopod Ligia exotica. PeerJ, 6, e4337. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4337
IUCN. (2023). The IUCN Red List of threatened species. https://www.iucnredlist.org/
Jackson, H. (1941). Check-list of the terrestrial and fresh-water Isopoda of Oceania. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, 99, 1–35.
Johnston, A., Matechou, E. & Dennis, E. B. (2023). Outstanding challenges and future directions for biodiversity monitoring using citizen science data. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 14(1), 103–116. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13834
Joimel, S., Nahmani, J., Hedde, M., Auclerc, A. & Beaumelle, L. (2021). A large database on functional traits for soil ecologists: BETSII. In Global Symposium on Soil Biodiversity (pp. 523–528). FAO.
Joly, F.-X., Coq, S., Coulis, M., David, J.-F., Hättenschwiler, S., Mueller, C. W., Prater, I. & Subke, J.-A. (2020). Detritivore conversion of litter into faeces accelerates organic matter turnover. Communications Biology, 3(1), 660. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-020-01392-4
Kampe, S. & Schlechtriem, C. (2016). Bioaccumulation of hexachlorobenzene in the terrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 35(11), 2867–2873. https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.3473
Keller, R. P., Geist, J., Jeschke, J. M. & Kühn, I. (2011). Invasive species in Europe: Ecology, status, and policy. Environmental Sciences Europe, 23(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/2190-4715-23-23
Korsós, Z., Hornung, E., Szlavecz, K. & Kontschán, J. (2002). Isopoda and Diplopoda of urban habitats: New data to the fauna of Budapest. Annales Historico-Naturales Musei Nationalis Hungarici, 94, 193–208.
Kuznetsova, D. M. & Gongalsky, K. B. (2012). Cartographic analysis of woodlice fauna of the former USSR. ZooKeys, 176, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.176.2372
Kwon, D. H. & Taiti, S. (1993). Terrestrial Isopoda (Crustacea) from southern China, Macao and Hong Kong. Stuttgarter Beiträge Zur Naturkunde, 490, 1–83.
Lebedev, Yu. M., Gongalsky, K. B., Gorbunova, A. Yu. & Zaitsev, A. S. (2020). Rice Straw Decomposition by Woodlice (Isopoda, Oniscidea) and Millipedes (Myriapoda, Diplopoda) in the Soils of Kalmykia in a Laboratory Experiment. Arid Ecosystems, 10(3), 251–254. https://doi.org/10.1134/S2079096120030026
Lee, K. E. (1985). Earthworms: Their ecology and relationships with soils and land use. Academic Press.
Leistikow, A. & Wägele, J. W. (1999). Checklist of the terrestrial isopods of the new world (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea). Revista Brasileira de Zoologia, 16(1), 1–72. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0101-81751999000100001
Lewis, S. L. & Maslin, M. A. (2015). Defining the Anthropocene. Nature, 519(7542), 171–180. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14258
Lins, L. S. F., Ho, S. Y. W. & Lo, N. (2017). An evolutionary timescale for terrestrial isopods and a lack of molecular support for the monophyly of Oniscidea (Crustacea: Isopoda). Organisms Diversity & Evolution, 17(4), 813–820. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13127-017-0346-2
Marcer, A., Haston, E., Groom, Q., Ariño, A. H., Chapman, A. D., Bakken, T., Braun, P., Dillen, M., Ernst, M., Escobar, A., Fichtmüller, D., Livermore, L., Nicolson, N., Paragamian, K., Paul, D., Pettersson, L. B., Phillips, S., Plummer, J., Rainer, H., … Wieczorek, J. R. (2021). Quality issues in georeferencing: From physical collections to digital data repositories for ecological research. Diversity and Distributions, 27(3), 564–567. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.13208
Marchand, T., Estabes, L. & Pey, B. (2024). Litter consumption by macrodetritivores depends more on mechanical than on nutritional constraints. Oikos, 2024(6), e10280. https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.10280
Mathieu, J., Antunes, A. C., Barot, S., Bonato Asato, A. E., Bartz, M. L. C., Brown, G. G., Calderon-Sanou, I., Decaëns, T., Fonte, S. J., Ganault, P., Gauzens, B., Gongalsky, K. B., Guerra, C. A., Hengl, T., Lavelle, P., Marichal, R., Mehring, H., Peña-Venegas, C. P., Castro, D., Potapov, A., Thébault, E., Thuiller, W., Witjes, M., Zhang, C. & Eisenhauer, N. (2022). sOilFauna – a global synthesis effort on the drivers of soil macrofauna communities and functioning. Soil Organisms, 94(2), 111–126. https://doi.org/10.25674/so94iss2id282
McKinney, M. L. (2006). Urbanization as a major cause of biotic homogenization. Biological Conservation, 127(3), 247–260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2005.09.005
McKinney, M. L. & Lockwood, J. L. (1999). Biotic homogenization: A few winners replacing many losers in the next mass extinction. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 14(11), 450–453. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-5347(99)01679-1
Morgado, R. G., Gomes, P. A. D., Ferreira, N. G. C., Cardoso, D. N., Santos, M. J. G., Soares, A. M. V. M. & Loureiro, S. (2016). Toxicity interaction between chlorpyrifos, mancozeb and soil moisture to the terrestrial isopod Porcellionides pruinosus. Chemosphere, 144, 1845–1853. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2015.10.034
Nentwig, W. (2013). Spider Ecophysiology (1st ed). Springer Berlin / Heidelberg.
Noël, E., Gregory, S. J. & Agapakis, G. (2022). Armadillidium arcangelii Strouhal, 1929 (Isopoda: Oniscidea): A step towards the conquest of Europe. Bulletin of the British Myriapod & Isopod Group, 34, 72–82.
Noël, F. & Séchet, E. (2021). Inventaire des Crustacés Isopodes terrestres (Oniscidea) de France métropolitaine: Bilan des sept premières années (2014 à 2020). Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle.
Orsavová, J. & Tuf, I. H. (2018). Woodlice: Distribution Atlas in the Czech Republic and Bibliography 1840–2018. In Muzeum regionu Valašsko, Vsetín and Muzeum jihovýchodní Moravy ve Zlíně (pp. 1–200).
Paoletti, M. G. & Hassall, M. (1999). Woodlice (Isopoda: Oniscidea): their potential for assessing sustainability and use as bioindicators. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 74(1–3), 157–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8809(99)00035-3
Paoletti, M. G., Tsitsilas, A., Thomson, L. J., Taiti, S. & Umina, P. A. (2008). The flood bug, Australiodillo bifrons (Isopoda: Armadillidae): A potential pest of cereals in Australia? Applied Soil Ecology, 39(1), 76–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2007.11.009
Paris, O. H. (1963). The Ecology of Armadillidium vulgare (Isopoda: Oniscoidea) in California Grassland: Food, Enemies, and Weather. Ecological Monographs, 33(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.2307/1948475
Pey, B., Trân, C., Cruz, P., Hedde, M., Jouany, C., Laplanche, C., Nahmani, J., Chauvet, E. & Lecerf, A. (2019). Nutritive value and physical and chemical deterrents of forage grass litter explain feeding performances of two soil macrodetritivores. Applied Soil Ecology, 133, 81–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2018.09.006
Phillips, H. R. P., Guerra, C. A., Bartz, M. L. C., Briones, M. J. I., Brown, G., Crowther, T. W., Ferlian, O., Gongalsky, K. B., Van Den Hoogen, J., Krebs, J., Orgiazzi, A., Routh, D., Schwarz, B., Bach, E. M., Bennett, J. M., Brose, U., Decaëns, T., König-Ries, B., Loreau, M., … Eisenhauer, N. (2019). Global distribution of earthworm diversity. Science, 366(6464), 480–485. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aax4851
Pobozsny, M. (1978). Nahrungsanspr¨uche einiger Diplopoden- und Isopoden-Arten in mesophilen Laubw¨aldern Ungarns. Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 24, 397–406.
Pokarzhevskii, A. D. (1976). The participation of soil saprophages in the migration of ash elements in forest-steppe biogeocenoses. In Biota of the Main Geosystems of the Central Forest-Steppe, A. M. Grin and V. D. Utekhin, Eds. (pp. 101–102). Nauka Publ.
Potapov, A. M., Beaulieu, F., Birkhofer, K., Bluhm, S. L., Degtyarev, M. I., Devetter, M., Goncharov, A. A., Gongalsky, K. B., Klarner, B., Korobushkin, D. I., Liebke, D. F., Maraun, M., Mc Donnell, R. J., Pollierer, M. M., Schaefer, I., Shrubovych, J., Semenyuk, I. I., Sendra, A., Tuma, J., … Scheu, S. (2022). Feeding habits and multifunctional classification of soil‐associated consumers from protists to vertebrates. Biological Reviews, 97(3), 1057–1117. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12832
Reboleira, A. S., Eusébio, R. & Taiti, S. (2022). Species conservation profiles of cave-adapted terrestrial isopods from Portugal. Biodiversity Data Journal, 10, e78796. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.10.e78796
Řezáč, M., Král, J. & Pekár, S. (2007). The Spider Genus Dysdera (Araneae, Dysderidae) In Central Europe: Revision And Natural History. Journal of Arachnology, 35(3), 432–462. https://doi.org/10.1636/H06-38.1
Richardson, H. (1905). A monograph on the isopods of North America. Bulletin of the United States National Museum, 54, 1–727.
Robla, J., Orihuela‐Rivero, R., De Smedt, P., Matarredona, M. & Garcia, L. (2025). A colourful world with a dark future: Unregulated trade as an emerging threat for woodlice (Isopoda: Oniscidea) of Spain. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 18(2), 161–176. https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12792
Rodrigues, A., Pilgrim, J., Lamoreux, J., Hoffmann, M. & Brooks, T. (2006). The value of the IUCN Red List for conservation. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 21(2), 71–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2005.10.010
Russell, D. J., Naudts, E., Soudzilovskaia, N. A., Briones, M. J. I., Çakır, M., Conti, E., Cortet, J., Fiera, C., Kutuzovic, D. H., Hedde, M., Hohberg, K., Indjic, D., Krogh, P. H., Lehmitz, R., Lesch, S., Marjanovic, Z., Mulder, C., Mumladze, L., Murvanidze, M., … Potapov, A. (2024). Edaphobase 2.0: Advanced international data warehouse for collating and using soil biodiversity datasets. Applied Soil Ecology, 204, 105710. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105710
Sagi, N., Grünzweig, J. M. & Hawlena, D. (2019). Burrowing detritivores regulate nutrient cycling in a desert ecosystem. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 286(1914), 20191647. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.1647
Saska, P. (2008). Granivory in terrestrial isopods. Ecological Entomology, 33(6), 742–747. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2311.2008.01026.x
Schaefer, M. (1990). The soil fauna of a beech forest on limestone: Trophic structure and energy budget. Oecologia, 82, 128–136.
Scheu, S. & Falca, M. (2000). The soil food web of two beech forests (Fagus sylvatica) of contrasting humus type: Stable isotope analysis of a macro- and a mesofauna-dominated community. Oecologia, 123(2), 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s004420051015
Schmalfuss, H. (1989). Phylogenetics in Oniscidea. Monitore Zoologico Italiano, 4, 3–27.
Schmalfuss, H. (2003). World catalog of terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea). Stuttgarter Beiträge Zur Naturkunde, 654, 1–341.
Schmalfuss, H. (2008). Research on the biology of terrestrial Isopods: A historical survey. Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 64(3), 193–215.
Schmalfuss, H. & Wolf-Schwenninger, K. (2002). A bibliography of terrestrial isopods (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea). Stuttgarter Beiträge Zur Naturkunde, 639, 1–120.
Schmidt, C. (2003). Contribution to the phylogenetic system of the Crinocheta (Crustacea, Isopoda). Part 2. (Oniscoidea to Armadillidiidae). Zoosystematics and Evolution, 79(1), 3–179. https://doi.org/10.1002/mmnz.20030790102
Schmölzer, K. (1965). Bestimmungsbücher zur Bodenfauna Europas. Ordnung Isopoda (Landasseln).
Séchet, E. & Noël, F. (2015). Catalogue commenté des Crustacés Isopodes terrestres de France métropolitaine (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea). Mémoires de La Société Linnéenne de Bordeaux, 16, 1–156.
Šerić Jelaska, L., Franjević, D., Jelaska, S. D. & Symondson, W. O. C. (2014). Prey detection in carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in woodland ecosystems by PCR analysis of gut contents. European Journal of Entomology, 111(5), 631–638. https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2014.079
Sfenthourakis, S. & Taiti, S. (2015). Patterns of taxonomic diversity among terrestrial isopods. ZooKeys, 515, 13–25. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.515.9332
Sfenthourakis, S. (1996). A Biogeographical Analysis of Terrestrial Isopods (Isopoda, Oniscidea) from the Central Aegean Islands (Greece). Journal of Biogeography, 23(5), 687–698.
Sfenthourakis, S. & Hornung, E. (2018). Isopod distribution and climate change. ZooKeys, 801, 25–61. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.801.23533
Sfenthourakis, S., Myers, A. A., Taiti, S. & Lowry, J. K. (2020). Terrestrial Environments. In The Natural History of the Crustacea: Evolution and Biogeography of the Crustacea. Thiel, M., Poore, G., Eds. (Oxford University Press, pp. 375–404).
Shachak, M., Chapman, E. A. & Steinberger, Y. (1976). Feeding, energy flow and soil turnover in the desert isopod, Hemilepistus reaumuri. Oecologia, 24(1), 57–69. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00545487
Souty-Grosset, C., Nasri, K., Mocquard, J.-P. & Juchault, P. (1998). Individual variation in the seasonal reproduction of the terrestrial isopod Armadillidium vulgare Latr. (Crustacea, Oniscidea). Acta Oecologica, 19(4), 367–375. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1146-609X(98)80041-6
Steinwandter, M. & Seeber, J. (2023). Ground-dwelling invertebrates of the high alpine: Changes in diversity and community composition along elevation (1500–3000 m). Applied Soil Ecology, 190, 104988. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2023.104988
Sutton, S. L., Harding, P. T. & Burn, D. (1980). Woodlice. Pergamon Press.
Szlavecz, K. (1985). The effect of microhabitats on the leaf litter decomposition and on the distribution of soil animals. Holarctic Ecology, 8, 33–38.
Szlavecz, K., Jones, N. T., Noël, F., Boeraeve, P. & De Smedt, P. (2025). Chaetophiloscia sicula Verhoeff, 1908 (Isopoda, Oniscidea), an invasive isopod currently spreading in North America. ZooKeys, 1225, 65–75. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1225.120937
Szlavecz, K., Vilisics, F., Tóth, Z. & Hornung, E. (2018). Terrestrial isopods in urban environments: An overview. ZooKeys, 801, 97–126. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.801.29580
Taiti, S. (2004). Crustacea: Isopoda: Oniscidea (woodlice). In Encyclopedia of Caves and Karst Science. Gunn, J., Ed. (pp. 547–551). Fitzroy Dearborn.
Taiti, S. (2018). Biologia e biogeografia degli isopodi terrestri (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea). Atti Accademia Nazionale Italiana Di Entomologia, 83–90.
Taiti, S., Argano, R., Marcia, P., Scarpa, F., Sanna, D. & Casu, M. (2018). The genus Alpioniscus Racovitza, 1908 in Sardinia: Taxonomy and natural history (Isopoda, Oniscidea, Trichoniscidae). ZooKeys, 801, 229–263. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.801.24102
Taiti, S. & Ferrara, F. (2004). The terrestrial Isopoda (Crustacea: Oniscidea) of the Socotra Archipelago. Fauna of Arabia, 20, 211–326.
Taiti, S. & Humphreys, W. F. (2001). New aquatic Oniscidea (Crustacea: Isopoda) from groundwater calcretes of Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement, 64(1), 133. https://doi.org/10.18195/issn.0313-122x.64.2001.133-151
Taiti, S. & Montesanto, G. (2020). Troglobiotic terrestrial isopods from Myanmar, with descriptions of a new genus and three new species (Crustacea, Oniscidea). The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 35, 109–122.
Taiti, S., Paoli, P. & Ferrara, F. (1998). Morphology, biogeography, and ecology of the Family Amadillidae (Crustacea, Oniscidea). Israel Journal of Zoology, 44(3–4), 291–301.
Taiti, S. & Xue, Z. (2012). The cavernicolous genus Trogloniscus nomen novum, with descriptions of four new species from southern China (Crustacea, Oniscidea, Styloniscidae). Tropical Zoology, 25(4), 183–209. https://doi.org/10.1080/03946975.2012.751240
Thomas Thorpe, J. A. (2024). Phylogenomics supports a single origin of terrestriality in isopods. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 291(2033). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2024.1042
Van Den Hoogen, J., Geisen, S., Routh, D., Ferris, H., Traunspurger, W., Wardle, D. A., De Goede, R. G. M., Adams, B. J., Ahmad, W., Andriuzzi, W. S., Bardgett, R. D., Bonkowski, M., Campos-Herrera, R., Cares, J. E., Caruso, T., De Brito Caixeta, L., Chen, X., Costa, S. R., Creamer, R., … Crowther, T. W. (2019). Soil nematode abundance and functional group composition at a global scale. Nature, 572(7768), 194–198. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1418-6
Van Name, W. (1936). The American land and freshwater isopod Crustacea. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 71, 1–535.
Van Name, W. (1940). A supplement to the American land and freshwater isopod Crustacea. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 77, 109–142.
Van Name, W. (1942). A second supplement to the American land and freshwater isopod Crustacea. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 80, 299–329.
Vandel, A. (1962). Faune de France, 66. Isopodes terrestres (deuxième partie), pp. 417–931. Edition Paul Lechevalier, Paris.
Vandel, A. (1962). Isopodes terrestres (Vol. 2). Lechevalier.
Vandel, A. (1973). Les isopodes terrestres de l’Australie. Étude systématique et biogéographique. Mémoires Du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Nouvelle Série, 82, 1–171.
Vašutová, M., Mleczko, P., López-García, A., Maček, I., Boros, G., Ševčík, J., Fujii, S., Hackenberger, D., Tuf, I. H., Hornung, E., Páll-Gergely, B. & Kjøller, R. (2019). Taxi drivers: The role of animals in transporting mycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhiza, 29(5), 413–434. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00572-019-00906-1
Vink, K. & Van Straalen, N. M. (1999). Effects of benomyl and diazinon on isopod-mediated leaf litter decomposition in microcosms. Pedobiologia, 43, 345–359.
Warburg, M. R. (1993). Evolutionary Biology of Land Isopods. Springer Berlin / Heidelberg.
WoRMS. (2025). Oniscidea. https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=146505
Zimmer, M. (2002). Nutrition in terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea): an evolutionary‐ecological approach. Biological Reviews, 77(4), 455–493. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1464793102005912
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Konstantin B. Gongalsky, Pallieter De Smedt, Daria M. Kuznetsova, Stijn Segers, Pietro Gardini, Elisabeth Hornung, Daniil I. Korobushkin, Raúl Orihuela-Rivero, Jairo Robla, Katalin Szlavecz, Paula B. de Araujo, Sandra Barantal, Matty P. Berg, Maria Elina Bichuette, Stephanie Binder, Pepijn Boeraeve, Victoria J. Burton, Philipp S. Byzov, Ivanklin Soares Campos Filho, Matthieu Chauvat, Mathieu Coulis, Pierre Ganault, Matteo Ganz, Mickael Hedde, Charlene Janion-Scheepers, Chao Jiang, Nathan T. Jones, Benedikt Kästle, Weichun Li, Michael T. Marx, Maria Minor, Giuseppe Montesanto, Michael Steinwandter, Artur Szpalek, Wouter B. van der Vegt, Andrey S. Zaitsev, Stefano Taiti
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Soil Organisms is committed to fair open access publishing. All articles are available online without publication fees. Articles published from Vol. 96 No. 3 (2024) onwards are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. Articles published from Vol. 80 No. 1 through Vol. 96 No. 2 are available under the previous terms, allowing non-commercial, private, and scientific use.
How to Cite
