Asellota
Guides
Aselloidea
Waterslaters and allies
Aselloidea is a superfamily of freshwater and subterranean isopods within the suborder Asellota. Members are primarily aquatic, with many lineages adapted to life in groundwater, caves, and karst systems. The superfamily includes families such as Asellidae (common freshwater isopods), Stenasellidae, and Atlantasellidae. Some representatives exhibit remarkable morphological specializations for subterranean existence, including reduced eyes and elongated appendages.
Caecidotea racovitzai australis
Caecidotea racovitzai australis is a subspecies of freshwater isopod in the family Asellidae. It was originally described as Asellus racovitzai australis by Williams in 1970. The subspecies belongs to a genus of aquatic isopods commonly found in groundwater and cave habitats.
Caecidotea racovitzai racovitzai
Caecidotea racovitzai racovitzai is a subspecies of freshwater isopod in the family Asellidae. It was originally described as Asellus racovitzai racovitzai by Williams in 1970. The subspecies is known from Vermont, United States. As a member of the genus Caecidotea, it inhabits freshwater environments.
Carpias minutus
Sargasso Witcher
Carpias minutus is a marine isopod species in the family Janiridae, commonly known as the Sargasso Witcher. The species was described by Richardson in 1902. It is associated with the Sargasso Sea ecosystem, a unique pelagic habitat in the North Atlantic Ocean characterized by floating Sargassum seaweed. The species has been recorded from Bermuda and coastal Brazil (Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo states).
Gnathostenetroidoidea
Gnathostenetroidoidea is a superfamily of asellotan isopods established by Kussakin in 1967. Members are predominantly small crustaceans adapted to cryptic habitats, including both freshwater groundwater systems and marine interstitial environments. The superfamily includes families such as Protojaniridae and Caecostenetroididae. Documented species exhibit reduced or absent eyes and morphological specializations for subterranean or interstitial life.
Janiroidea
Witchers
Janiroidea is a superfamily of marine isopods in the suborder Asellota, established by G. O. Sars in 1897. It comprises 25 families, with Paramunnidae and Munnidae as the two largest and most diverse. Members occupy a remarkable depth range from shallow littoral zones to hadal trenches exceeding 8,000 meters. The superfamily exhibits substantial morphological diversity, including adaptations for interstitial, benthic, and deep-sea habitats.
Stenasellidae
Stenasellidae is a family of stygobiotic (obligate subterranean aquatic) isopods in the suborder Asellota. The family comprises approximately 10 genera including Stenasellus, Metastenasellus, and Parastenasellus, with species distributed across groundwater habitats in Africa, the Middle East, southern Europe, and Southeast Asia. These crustaceans are exclusively adapted to life in continental underground waters including caves, wells, and interstitial aquifers. Their evolutionary history has been shaped by Quaternary climatic events including aridification in tropical zones and glaciations in temperate regions.