Terrestrial-isopods
Guides
Cordioniscus
Cordioniscus is a genus of small terrestrial isopods (woodlice) in the family Styloniscidae. The genus contains approximately 18 described species. Members are classified within the suborder Oniscidea, the group containing all fully terrestrial isopods.
Detonella
Detonella is a genus of terrestrial isopods (woodlice) in the family Detonidae, established by Lohmander in 1927. The genus contains at least two described species: Detonella papillicornis from North America and Detonella sachalina from the Russian Far East. These woodlice belong to the suborder Oniscidea, the group containing all fully terrestrial isopods.
Eubelidae
Eubelid Pill Woodlice
Eubelidae is a family of woodlice (terrestrial isopods) comprising approximately 50 genera. Members are primarily associated with tropical forest habitats, with the highest diversity concentrated in African tropical forests. The family extends to parts of South-East Asia and the Arabian Peninsula, reflecting a disjunct tropical distribution pattern.
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.
Littorophiloscia
Littorophiloscia is a genus of terrestrial isopods (woodlice) established by Hatch in 1947, containing at least 20 described species. The genus belongs to the family Halophilosciidae (sometimes referenced as Philosciidae in older sources). Species in this genus have been documented as hosts for trichomycete fungi in their hindguts. The genus shows a tropical distribution pattern, with documented occurrences in the Caribbean region.
Rhyscotidae
Rhyscotid woodlice
Rhyscotidae is a family of terrestrial isopods (woodlice) within the suborder Oniscidea. The family comprises two genera, Rhyscotus and Rhyscotoides, and is characterized by small to medium-sized woodlice with typical isopod body plans. Members are found in tropical and subtropical regions, particularly in the Americas. The family was established by Budde-Lund in 1904 and represents a distinct lineage within the Crinocheta clade of terrestrial isopods.
Styloniscidae
Styloniscidae is a family of terrestrial isopods (woodlice) within the suborder Oniscidea. The family comprises at least twelve genera distributed across tropical and subtropical regions, with exceptional diversity documented in Brazilian karst systems. Multiple genera contain troglobitic (exclusively cave-dwelling) species, including Xangoniscus, Cylindroniscus, Pectenoniscus, and Chaimowiczia. These cave-dwelling representatives exhibit classic troglomorphic traits: anophthalmy (eye loss), depigmentation, and elongated appendages.
Trachelipodidae
Trachelipodid Woodlice
Trachelipodidae is a family of terrestrial isopods (woodlice) within the suborder Oniscidea. The family was established by Strouhal in 1953 and is classified within the infraorder Orthogonopoda and parvorder Crinocheta. Members are found across Europe and North America, with documented occurrences in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the United States (including Vermont), and Romania. The genus Trachelipus is the best-known within the family, with species such as T. trilobatus having been subject to recent distributional studies.
Trichoniscus
pygmy woodlice
Trichoniscus is a genus of small terrestrial isopods (woodlice) containing over 100 species. The genus is notable for including species with both sexual and parthenogenetic reproductive modes, most prominently exemplified by Trichoniscus pusillus, which exists as diploid sexual and triploid asexual forms. These isopods are among the smallest woodlice, typically only a few millimeters in length, and are significant study organisms for research on the evolutionary maintenance of sexual reproduction.