Platyarthrus hoffmannseggii

Platyarthrus hoffmannseggii is a species of woodlouse which is closely associated with ants' nests, particularly those of Lasius flavus, Lasius niger and species of Myrmica, where it feeds on ant droppings or mildew.[1] It is white, 4 millimetres (0.16 in) long,[1] and has a distinctive oval shape and short antennae. Its distribution appears to follow those of the ants with which it lives, and the British Isles are the north-westerly limit of its range. Elsewhere, P. hoffmannseggii extends south to the Mediterranean Sea.[2] It is found outside Europe in North Africa and Turkey, and has been introduced to Australia and North America.[3]

Platyarthrus hoffmannseggii
Scientific classification
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P. hoffmannseggii
Binomial name
Platyarthrus hoffmannseggii
Brandt, 1833

References

  1. Description, distribution, and habitat
  2. Paul T. Harding & Stephen L. Sutton (1985). Woodlice in Britain and Ireland: distribution and habitat (PDF). Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-904282-85-6. accessed through the NERC Open Access Research Archive (NORA)
  3. Helmut Schmalfuss (2003). "World catalog of terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) – revised and updated version" (PDF). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde, Serie A. 654: 341 pp.


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