Woodlice

With the Breeding Bird Survey on hold for a couple of weeks until the second round begins, I've been back studying invertebrates from the Ribble Estuary. I'm really pushing my camera to the limits on some of these creatures, so apologies if they're not great quality.

Below are some woodlice, all of which are pretty common, both on the Ribble and elsewhere. They are crustaceans, and there are 40 different species in the UK. They are identified by the number of flagella (segments) in the last segment of the antennae, the shape of the uropods (the spikey tail like things at the back) and the pereon and pleon. In Woodlice, the front part of the body (or thorax) is called the pereon, and in some woodlice it runs smoothly into the back part of the body (the abdomen), which is known as the pleon, whilst in other woodlice it is staggered. There are five very common species, three of which are shown here. The other two are Porcellio scaber (Common Rough Woodlouse) and Trichoniscus pusillus (Common Pygmy Woodlouse).

In the past, some people used to take them like pills for various ailments. Being crustaceans, they are a good source of calcium (or so I'm told).

Oniscus asellus (Common Shiny Woodlouse) - Three flagella, lob under the eye, pereon runs smoothly into the pleon.

Philoscia muscorum (Common Striped Woodlouse) - Three flagella, pereon and pleon staggered.

Armadillium vulgare (Common Pill Woodlouse) - Two flagella, very round form, uropods spade like and triangular.