Terrestrial Isopods (Crustacea: Isopoda: 

 Oniscoidea) from North Carolina 



George A. Schultz 

 75 Smith Street, Hampton, New Jersey 08827 



ABSTRACT.— The 18 terrestrial isopod crustaceans from North 

 Carolina are reviewed with synonymies, illustrations, ecological notes 

 and a key to species. Maps of distribution also are included. The spe- 

 cies can be divided into two major groups — species exclusively from 

 the seashore and species from more upland locations. There is only a 

 small overlap since some species from more upland locations also 

 occasionally are abundant locally at the edge of brackish and marine 

 waters. Species from more upland locations are further divided accord- 

 ing to the moisture of their habitat. Species of Ligidium, like related 

 Ligia exotica of the seashore, are found in permanently moist habi- 

 tats. Species such as Hyloniscus riparius also live in very wet habitats. 

 Others, such as species of Miktoniscus, are found in the moist, rotted 

 logs and leaf litter of forested river bottomlands. Species such as Por- 

 cellio scaber and P. laevis are common around human habitation in 

 relatively dry places. Species such as Armadillidium vulgare and A. 

 nasatum are more tolerant of moisture and dryness and are found in 

 the greatest number of widely distributed habitats in the state. 



INTRODUCTION 



Terrestrial isopod crustaceans (Oniscoidea) have not previously 

 been studied in detail in North Carolina or any other part of the south- 

 eastern United States. The first actual record of an oniscoid in North 

 Carolina was of Ligia sp. (most probably L. exotica Roux) from Ft. 

 Macon (Harger 1878). Brimley (1938) later included six species in an 

 account of the insects and some other arthropods of the state. Schultz 

 (1962) recorded Miktoniscus halophilus Blake from the Piedmont and 

 Coastal Plain (Schultz 1976) and Philoscia vittata (Say) from the coast 

 (Schultz 1963, 1974). Ligidium blueridgensis Schultz (1964) from the 

 western part of the state was then described, along with a record of 

 Miktoniscus medcofi (Van Name) from a cave. Schultz (1975, 1977) 

 recorded species from coastal Georgia, some of which range into North 

 Carolina, and Kelley (1978) recorded terrestrial isopods from the coastal 

 zone of South Carolina, some of which also range into North Carolina. 



This paper is based on specimens collected by the author and on 

 many others kindly made available by Dr. Rowland M. Shelley, North 

 Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh. Some other small 

 collections are also included. Specimens of 17 of the 18 species (except 

 M. medcofi) are in the collection of that museum. Distributions within 

 the state are recorded on Maps 1-12. A short discussion and an illustra- 

 tion of each species is included so the records of the 18 species from 



Brimleyana No. 8:1-26. December 1982 1 



