1901. 109 



ARMADILLIDIUM PULCHEUAJM, BRANDT. 



A WOODEOUSE NEW TO THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 



BY R. F. SCHARFF, PH.D., B.SC 



(Collected for the R.I.A. Flora and Fauna Committee). 



This species belongs to the group sometimes called the Pi 11- 

 woodlice, owing to their being able to roll themselves into a 

 perfect little pill-iike ball. The ordinary Irish Pill-woodlouse 

 (Armadillidium vulgarc) was figured and described in my 

 paper on the Irish Woodlice {Irish Naturalist, vol. iii., 1894) 

 Since that date two other species of the same genus, viz., 

 A. nasatum and. A. depression, have been discovered in England, 

 but not in Ireland. I now add a fourth to those already found 

 in the British Isles. 



A. pulchellum in the first instance* differs considerably in 

 size from those mentioned above, being less than half as long 

 as any of the other species. Then it is very prettily marked, 

 the colour being brown with a series of light yellow spots on 

 the back, while the other species are more or less uniformly 

 grey. In order to show some of the minor characters by 

 means of which this species may be distinguished from others, 

 I herewith give an illustration. 



I 



I discovered this species in April close to the village of 

 Ballymote (Co. Sligo) when visiting the district for the Royal 

 Irish Academy Fauna and Flora Committee. I found about 

 a dozen specimens, all full grown — about 5 111111. in length — 

 under stones on the top of a mud- wall. It was there in 



