Soil-invertebrate
Guides
Cylisticus convexus
Curly Woodlouse
Cylisticus convexus, commonly known as the curly woodlouse, is a small terrestrial isopod first described by Charles De Geer in 1778. Native to Europe and Asia, it has been introduced to North Africa, North America, and South America. The species is notable for its ability to conglobate (roll into a ball) while retaining protruding antennae and uropods, and for possessing five pairs of pleopodal lungs—features that distinguish it from similar pillbugs.
Oniscus
woodlice
Oniscus is a genus of terrestrial isopods (woodlice) in the family Oniscidae. The genus comprises five species with restricted distributions: three species are endemic to northwestern Iberia (O. ancarensis, O. galicianus, O. lusitanicus), one to the Pyrenees (O. simonii), and one species, O. asellus, is widespread across Europe and has been introduced to the Americas. O. asellus has been studied for its ability to fragment weathered polystyrene plastic into microplastics in laboratory settings.
Paradoxosomatidae
flat-backed millipedes
Paradoxosomatidae is the largest family of flat-backed millipedes, containing nearly 200 genera and approximately 975 species as of 2013. It is the sole family in the suborder Paradoxosomatidea. Members are distinguished by dorsal grooves on most body segments and a dumb-bell shaped gonopod aperture in males. The family includes notable groups such as the dragon millipedes of Southeast Asia and the widely introduced greenhouse millipede Oxidus gracilis.
Proisotoma minuta
Proisotoma minuta is an elongate-bodied springtail in the family Isotomidae. It is found in Europe and has been recorded in agricultural land in Manitoba, Canada. This species is a fungivore and reproduces sexually. It is commonly used in ecotoxicological studies as a test organism for assessing soil contamination by heavy metals and volatile organic compounds.