Cave louse

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cave louse
Systematics
Superordinate : Satchel Shrimp (Peracarida)
Order : Woodlice (isopoda)
Subordination : Asellota
Family : Asellidae
Genre : Proasellus
Type : Cave louse
Scientific name
Proasellus cavaticus
( Leydig , 1871)

The isopod ( Proasellus cavaticus , Syn . : Asellus cavaticus ) is an isopod from the family Asellidae . The cave louse was voted Cave Animal of the Year 2014 by the Association of German Cave and Karst Researchers .

features

The woodlice have a body length of 5 to 8 millimeters. Its body, which is completely unpigmented and therefore white, is significantly narrower than that of the water louse ( Asellus aquaticus ). Your Pleotelson is slightly longer than it is wide. Eyes are not trained.

Occurrence and way of life

The cave isopods occur in Germany, France, Switzerland, northern Austria, the Czech Republic and Belgium as well as in southern England. They colonize subterranean waters such as cave streams, groundwater and rarely springs. From there they also get into wells and into the water supply. They are troglobionts that cannot survive outside of the underground habitats. The animals live in cool fresh water, they do not survive water temperatures above 16 degrees Celsius. Rotten wood and decayed leaves in captivity were found to be food, although they did not consume much food. In general, they move more nimbly than the water louse and react shyly to touch or strong water movements.

The species lives in southern and central Germany and is threatened with extinction here ( Red List 1). The population is affected by a moderate decline.

Species with a similar way of life

There are also populations of the common water louse that live underground and have little or no pigmentation. In Germany there is another cave-dwelling Asellidae, Proasellus slavus.

supporting documents

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Cave Animal of the Year 2014 ( Memento of the original from October 25, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.hoehlentier.de
  2. ↑ Heiko Bellmann : Kosmos-Atlas arachnids of Europe. Extra: freshwater crabs, woodlice and millipedes . 3. Edition. Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 978-3-440-10746-1 .
  3. ↑ Bärbel Vogel: Die Höhlenwasserassel - Cave Animal of the Year 2014. Association of German Cave and Karst Researchers eV, 2014, accessed on May 14, 2020 .
  4. ↑ a b c d Hans-Eckhard Gruner: Crustaceans or Custacea: V. Isopoda. In: Maria Dahl, Fritz Peus (Hrsg.): The animal world of Germany and the adjacent parts of the sea according to their characteristics and according to their way of life . tape 51 , 1st delivery. VEB Gustav Fischer Verlag, Jena 1965, p. 149 .
  5. ^ Proasellus cavaticus. Fauna Europaea, accessed February 27, 2007 .
  6. ↑ Editing: BMBF LS5 Internet editorship: Detail page - Rote Liste Rote Liste. Retrieved May 14, 2020 .

literature