Preliminary study on the terrestrial isopods of Kaunas city (Lithuania)

Abstract

The present study contains the results of a study on terrestrial isopod (Crustacea: Isopoda: Oniscidea) samples collected by pitfall traps from five different habitats during four different months in different seasons (late spring, early summer, early autumn, and late autumn) during 2012. All sampling plots were located in Kaunas city. As a result, three species were identified: Trachelipus rathkii (Brandt, 1833), Porcellio scaber (Latreille, 1804), and Oniscus asellus (Linnaeus, 1758). All species found had previously been known from Lithuania. T. rathkii, a eurytopic species, dominated in all studied habitats. Low species richness and diversity might be due to a selective nature of the sampling method. Abundance (surface activity) showed a seasonal pattern. The sample size of the superdominant T. rathkii allowed calculating a temporal sex ratio for this species: females dominated in all habitats and in almost all periods.

Keywords:

• Woodlouse
• spatial and temporal distribution
• diversity
• sex ratio

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.