Androniscus dentiger

{{Short description|Species of woodlouse}} {{Speciesbox | image = Androniscus_dentiger_(cropped).jpg | genus = Androniscus | species = dentiger | authority = [[Karl Wilhelm Verhoeff|Verhoeff]], 1908 <ref name="ITIS">{{ITIS |id=594216 |taxon=''Androniscus dentiger'' Verhoeff, 1908 |accessdate=November 7, 2010}}</ref> | synonyms = *''Androniscus africanus'' *''Androniscus alpinus'' *''Androniscus carli'' *''Androniscus weberi'' *''Androniscus wolfi'' *''Itea dentiger'' *''Stenasellus hazeltoni'' *''Trichoniscus dentiger'' | synonyms_ref =  <ref name="Schmalfuss">{{cite journal |url=http://www.oniscidea-catalog.naturkundemuseum-bw.de/Cat_terr_isop.pdf |title=World catalog of terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) — revised and updated version |author=Helmut Schmalfuss |year=2003 |journal=Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde, Serie A |volume=654 |pages=341 pp |access-date=2009-02-19 |archive-date=2009-02-24 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20090224212510/http://www.oniscidea-catalog.naturkundemuseum-bw.de/Cat_terr_isop.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> }}

'''''Androniscus dentiger''''', the '''rosy woodlouse''' or '''pink woodlouse''', is a [[species]] of [[woodlouse]] found from the [[British Isles]] to [[North Africa]].<ref name="Gentile">{{cite journal|title=Geographic variation and genetic relationships in populations of the ''Androniscus dentiger'' complex from Central Italy (Isopoda, Oniscidea, Trichoniscidae) |author1=Gabriele Gentile |author2=Giuliana Allegrucci |journal=[[International Journal of Speleology]] |year=1997 |volume=26 |issue=1–2 |pages=47–61 |doi=10.5038/1827-806x.26.1.5 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Description== ''Androniscus dentiger'' is a small woodlouse, at only 6 mm (¼ in) long, and is characteristically pink or orange in colour, with a yellow stripe along the midline of the dorsal surface,<ref name="NHM">{{cite web |url=http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/other-invertebrates/walking-with-woodlice/species5b.html |title=Woodlouse wizard — less common species |publisher=[[Natural History Museum, London|Natural History Museum]] |accessdate=February 19, 2009}}</ref> which divides in two towards the animal's tail. It has large eyes for its size and a granular [[exoskeleton]].<ref name="Orange">{{cite web |url=http://pagesperso-orange.fr/zenza/cloportes/Adentiger.html |language=French |title=''Androniscus dentiger'' — le cloporte rosâtre |author =Angelo Gross}}</ref>

==Ecology== In the [[British Isles]], ''A. dentiger'' is found in a wide variety of [[habitat]]s, including coastal areas, [[garden]]s, old [[quarry|quarries]]<ref name="NHM"/> and [[cave]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cambriancavingcouncil.org.uk/cavelife/wales/crustacea.html |title=Life in the cave — Crustacea |publisher=Cambrian Caving Council |accessdate=November 7, 2010}}</ref> It lives where there is a significant amount of [[Lime (material)|lime]] available, and is reported to show a preference for [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] [[churchyard]]s over [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] ones because the older, [[Protestantism|Protestant churches]] used ox-blood [[Mortar (masonry)|mortar]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Joe Kennedy |date=July 5, 2008 |title=Meeting Dublin's wildest residents: review of ''Wild Dublin'' by Eanna ni Lamhna |url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books/meeting-dublins-wildest-residents-1428177.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018045836/https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books/meeting-dublins-wildest-residents-1428177.html |archive-date=2012-10-18 |publisher=[[Irish Independent]]}}</ref>

In the south of its range, ''A. dentiger'' is primarily [[troglobite|troglobitic]], with populations in different [[cave system]]s being [[Geographical isolation|genetically isolated]] by the lack of [[wikt:migration|migration]] between caves.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) in and near the Zbrašov Aragonit Caves (Czech Republic) |author1=Ivan H. Tuf |author2=Karel Tajovský |author3=Jan Mikula |author4=Vratislav Laška |author5=Roman Mlejnek |journal=Proceedings of the International Symposium of Terrestrial Isopod Biology – ISTIB-07 |volume=I. Biodiversity & Systematics |pages=33–36 |url=http://ekologie.upol.cz/ad/tuf/pdf/papers/Tuf+Tajovsky+Mikula+Laska+Mlejnek2008.pdf |access-date=2009-02-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718185316/http://ekologie.upol.cz/ad/tuf/pdf/papers/Tuf+Tajovsky+Mikula+Laska+Mlejnek2008.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-18 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Animals like ''A. dentiger'' which prefer to live in caves, but are not restricted to the cave environment may be termed ''troglophilic''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fba.org.uk/recorders/publications_resources/cavelife/contentParagraph/00/document/CaveLife_Website.pdf |title=Cave Life in Britain |publisher=[[Freshwater Biological Association]] |author=Lee Knight |year=2007 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717122716/http://www.fba.org.uk/recorders/publications_resources/cavelife/contentParagraph/00/document/CaveLife_Website.pdf |archivedate=2011-07-17 }}</ref>

In [[North America]], ''A. dentiger'' is only known to occur in [[greenhouse]]s.<ref name="Schmalfuss"/>

==Subspecies== According to some authors, ''A. dentiger'' may be considered a [[species complex|complex]] of [[sibling species]] or [[cryptic species]] .<ref name="Gentile"/> Six [[subspecies]] are recognised:<ref name="ITIS"/> *''Androniscus dentiger africanus'' Arcangeli, 1939 *''Androniscus dentiger caecus'' Brian, 1938 *''Androniscus dentiger calcivagus'' Verhoeff, 1908 *''Androniscus dentiger croaticus'' Strouhal, 1939 *''Androniscus dentiger dentiger'' Verhoeff, 1908 *''Androniscus dentiger ligulifer'' Verhoeff, 1908

==See also== *[[List of woodlice of the British Isles]]

==References== {{Reflist|32em}}

[[Category:Trichoniscidae]] [[Category:Crustaceans described in 1908]] [[Category:Arthropods of Africa]] [[Category:Woodlice of Europe]] [[Category:Taxa named by Karl Wilhelm Verhoeff]]