©Jje Qxx&\) Jtaturctltet* 



Vol. III. FEBRUARY, 1894. No. 2. 



THE IRISH WOOD-I.ICE. 



(WITH DESCRIPTIONS AND FIGURES OF AIJ, THF BRITISH 



SPECIES.) 



By R. F. Scharff, Ph.D., B.Sc. 



[Pl,ATE 2.] 

 {Concluded from page 7.) 



LIGIIDJE. 



Ligia oceanfca, L. (fig. 1). 



This is the largest of the Irish Wood-lice. It differs so much from all 

 others that it is not easily mistaken. The outer antennae are about two- 

 thirds of the length of the entire animal, and their last joint, the 

 flagellum, as it is called, has 11-13 articulations. In no other Irish 

 species except the next has the flagellum more than 10. The tail or 

 caudal appendages are long and tapering (filiform) and of about equal 

 length. The general body-colour is of a greyish-green. 



This species is common under stones between tide-marks only, never . 

 occurring inland. I have taken it along the east coast and also on the 

 west at Glengariff and Castletown-Berehaven. Mr. Jameson obtained 

 it at Bundoran. 



Generae Distribution. — Common on the English (i) 1 , and Scotch 

 coast (8), and indeed along the whole west coast of Europe as far south 

 as Gibraltar and even Malaga (2). In the Mediterranean proper it is 

 replaced by the allied species Ligia itaiica. 



[Ligldium hypnorum, Cuv.] (fig. 2). 



L. Personii, Kin. 



L. agile, Norman. 



The figure unfortunately does not very clearly show the 10 (some- 

 times 13) articulations in the flagellum or last joint of the outer antennae. 

 As none of the species mentioned hereafter have more than seven 

 divisions in the flagellum, this character alone suffices to distinguish 

 Ligidium hypnortim from them. The size of this species and structure 

 of the caudal appendages separate it from Ligia oceanica. 



It has not been found in Ireland. 



General Distribution.— South-east of England (11), Western 

 Europe and Turkey (2). 



1 The numbers refer to the works enumerated on p. 7. 



A 



