Paleogeological-marker
Guides
Ligidium
Rock Slaters
Ligidium is a genus of small, forest-dwelling woodlice (terrestrial isopods) in the family Ligiidae, containing approximately 46–68 species with ongoing taxonomic revision. The genus exhibits exceptional genetic differentiation and cryptic diversity, with populations often showing high isolation even over short geographic distances. Species are distributed across temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with notable radiations in Japan, Greece, Turkey, the Caucasus, Central Asia, China, Taiwan, and North America. Ligidium has been proposed as a paleogeological marker organism due to its strong correlation between phylogenetic patterns and regional geological history.