North Carolina Terrestrial Isopods 19 



Oniscus asellus Linnaeus 

 Figs. 8, 9a, 9b 

 Oniscus asellus Linnaeus. Van Name 1936:182, fig. 97. 



So far the only record in North Carolina is from the west (Map 7). 

 In more northern locations, such as Long Island, New York, it is com- 

 mon near the coast where it lives in leaf litter and under loose tree bark. 

 It clings to such hard substrates as the logs and the sides of rocks and 

 bricks and remains motionless and inconspicuous. It is a large, flat, 

 elliptical isopod with a slate-gray color and yellow spots. It is distin- 

 guished from other common large species by three, not two, flagellar 

 articles on antenna 2. It grows to 12 mm long. 



Cylisticus convexus (De Geer) 

 Figs. 28, 29 

 Cylisticus convexus (De Geer). Van Name 1936:259, figs. 147A, 148. 

 Brimley 1938:502. Schultz 1961:194; 1965b:134. 



Cylisticus convexus, like both Armadillidium nasatum and A. vul- 

 gare, rolls into a ball, but the ball is less spherical than that formed by 

 the Armadillidium species. Also, its uropods project well beyoud the 

 general margin of the body (Fig. 28). The species apparently ranges 

 throughout North Carolina, but records are scarce on the Coastal Plain 

 except in the Beaufort region where isopods were more than casually 

 sought. It lives in moderately moist habitats that must remain moist 

 throughout dry periods, especially late summer. In particular habitats 

 with more or less permanent moist retreats the species can occur in 

 extremely large numbers, especially in the spring. It often inhabits 

 decayed logs after carpenter ants have left. The species is shiny gray- 

 black and has long uropods, which separates it from species of Armadil- 

 lidium. It grows to 16 mm long. In the Durham region breeding takes 

 place from late May until late August. 



Porcellio scaber Latreille 

 Figs. 21-23 

 Porcellio scaber Latreille. Van Name 1936:226, figs. 2, 3, 127A, 128. 

 Brimley 1938:502. Schultz 1961:194. 



This is one of the most abundant and widespread species in North 

 Carolina, being found from the coast to the mountains. It frequently is 

 present in the maritime drift line and in leaf litter of reed grass swamps 

 on the coast. It also is occasionally present on and near rocky jetties 

 where it might sometimes be covered by marine water, and is common 

 in leaf litter and under logs in upland forests. It is abundant around 

 human habitations and in remote locations as well. Several color 

 phases, from chocolate brown to variegated yellow-brown frequently 

 are seen in populations throughout the United States. It is most easily 



