Note

Guide to the Coastal Marine Isopods of California

Richard Brusca, Vania R. Coelho, and Stefano Taiti

Table of Contents

California Isopoda Plates

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Plate 1. Isopoda. Isopod anatomy in representative groups. 1, Cirolanidae. 2, Asellota. 3, Sphaeromatidae. 4, Idoteidae. 5, Generalized mouthparts. 6, Penes. 7, Pleon of Valvifera (ventral view). 8, Generalized pleopods. (after Van Name, 1936; Menzies and Frankenberg, 1966; Menzies and Glynn, 1968)

Plate 2. Isopoda. Anthuridea: 9, Cyathura munda, A, whole animal, B, detail of the head in lateral view. 10, Colanthura bruscai, pleon. 11, Mesanthura occidentalis. 12, Paranthura elegans. 13-15, Asellota: 13, Caecianiropsis psammophila. 14, Caecijaera horvathi. 15, Janiralata davisi, A, whole animal, B, maxilliped. (after Menzies, 1951A; Menzies and Petit, 1956; Menzies and Barnard, 1959; Poore, 1984; Wetzer and Brusca, 1997)

Plate 3. Isopoda. Asellota: 16, Janiralata occidentalis. 17, Ianiropsis analoga, A, whole animal, B, male first pleopods. 18, Ianiropsis derjugini. 19, Ianiropsis epilittoralis. 20, Ianiropsis kincaidi, A, whole animal, B, male first pleopods, C, detail of the distal part of the male first pleopods. (after Menzies, 1951A, 1952)

Plate 4. Isopoda. Asellota: 21, Ianiropsis minuta, A, whole animal, B, maxilliped. 22, Ianiropsis montereyensis, A, whole animal, B, male first pleopods, C, detail of the distal part of the male first pleopods. 23, Ianiropsis tridens. 24, Joeropsis dubia dubia, A, whole animal, B, detail of the lateral margin of the pleotelson. 25, Joeropsis dubia paucispinis, detail of pleotelson. (after Menzies, 1951A, 1952)

Plate 5. Isopoda. Asellota: 26, Santia hirsuta. 27, Munna chromatocephala, A, whole animal, B, uropod, C, male first pleopods. 28, Munna halei, A, uropod, B, whole animal. 29, Munna stephenseni, A, whole animal, B, uropod. 30, Uromunna ubiquita, A, whole animal, B, male first pleopods, C, uropod. (after Menzies, 1951A, 1952)

Plate 6. Isopoda. Epicaridea: 31, Bopyriscus calmani. 32, Ione cornuta. 33, Munidion pleuroncondis. 34, Phyllodurus abdominalis. (after Richardson, 1905; Markham, 1975; Sassaman et al., 1984)

Plate 7. Isopoda. Epicaridea: 35, Portunion conformis. 36-38, Flabellifera: 36, Rocinela signata. 37, Cirolana diminuta, A, postmanca, B, adult male. 38, Cirolana harfordi, A, male, B, a different male morphotype. (after Richardson, 1905 after Schiodte and Meinert; Muscatine, 1956; Brusca et al., 1995)

Plate 8. Isopoda. Flabellifera: 39, Euryalana arcuata. 40, Eurydice caudata. 41, Excirolana linguifrons, cephalon, pleotelson. 42, Excirolana chiltoni. 43, Excorallana tricornis occidentalis, A, whole animal in lateral view, B, whole animal in dorsal view. 44, Excorallana truncata. (after Richardson, 1899, 1905 after Hansen; Bruce and Jones, 1981; Jansen, 1981; Delaney, 1982, 1984; Brusca et al., 1995)

Plate 9. Isopoda. Flabellifera: 45, Ceratothoa gaudichaudii. 46, Ceratothoa gilberti. 47, Enispa convexa, A, whole animal in dorsal view, B, whole animal in lateral view. 48, Mothocya rosea, A, antenna 1, B, antenna 2, C, whole animal. (after Brusca, 1981; Bruce, 1986)

Plate 10. Isopoda. Flabellifera: 49, Elthusa californica. 50, Elthusa vulgaris. 51, Nerocila acuminata, A, acuminata form, female, B, acuminata form, male, C, aster form, female. 52, Limnoria algarum. (after Menzies, 1957; Brusca, 1981)

Plate 11. Isopoda. Flabellifera: 53, Limnoria quadripunctata, A, whole animal, B, mandible. 54, Limnoria lignorum, pleotelson. 55, Limnoria tripunctata, pleotelson. 56, Heteroserolis carinata. 57, Ancinus granulatus. (after Menzies, 1957; Trask, 1970; Wetzer and Brusca, 1997)

Plate 12. Isopoda. Flabellifera: 58, Paradella dianae. 59, Dynamenella sheareri. 60, Dynamenella benedicti, pleotelson. 61, Dynamenella glabra, pleotelson. 62, Dynamenella dilatata. 63, Paracerceis cordata. (after Richardson, 1899; Menzies, 1962; George and Strömberg, 1968; Schultz, 1969)

Plate 13. Isopoda. Flabellifera: 64, Paracerceis sculpta. 65, Gnorimosphaeroma noblei, A, whole animal, B, frontal view of cephalon. 66, Gnorimosphaeroma oregonense, A, frontal view of cephalon, B, whole animal. 67, Exosphaeroma amplicauda. (after Stimpson, 1857; Menzies, 1954A; Brusca, 1980)

Plate 14. Isopoda. Flabellifera: 68, Exosphaeroma inornata. 69, Sphaeroma walkeri. 70, Sphaeroma quoyanum, pleotelson. 71, Gnathiidea: 71, Gnathia steveni. 72, Microcerberidea: 72, Coxicerberus abbotti, A, antenna 1, B, whole animal. 73-74, Valvifera: 73, Idarcturus hedgpethi. 74, Cleantioides occidentalis. (after Richardson, 1905; Menzies, 1951A, 1962; Dow, 1958; Lang, 1960; Brusca and Wallerstein, 1979; Kensley and Schotte, 1989)

Plate 15. Isopoda. Valvifera: 75, Colidotea rostrata. 76, Colidotea findleyi, A, whole animal, B, maxilliped. 77, Erichsonella crenulata, A, dorsal view of cephalon, B, lateral view of cephalon, C, whole animal. 78, Erichsonella pseudoculata. 79, Idotea aculeata. 80, Idotea kirchanskii. (after Benedict, 1898; Stafford, 1913; Menzies, 1950A; Schultz, 1969; Miller and Lee, 1970; Brusca and Wallerstein, 1977)

Plate 16. Isopoda. Valvifera: 81, Idotea montereyensis. 82, Idotea ochotensis. 83, Idotea resecata. 84, Idotea rufescens. 85, Idotea schmitti. 86, Idotea stenops, A, maxilliped, B, whole animal. (after Richardson, 1905; Schultz, 1969; Rafi and Laubitz, 1990)

Plate 17. Isopoda. Valvifera: 87, Idotea wosnesenskii. 88, Idotea urotoma. 89, Synidotea berolzheimeri, A, maxilliped, B, whole animal. 90, Synidotea consolidata. 91, Synidotea harfordi. 92, Synidotea pettiboneae. 93, Synidotea ritteri. (after Menzies and Miller, 1972; Rafi and Laubitz, 1990)

Plate 18. Isopoda. Oniscidea: 94, Tylos punctatus, A, lateral view of whole animal, B, fourth and fifth pleonite and pleotelson. 95, Ligia occidentalis. 96, Ligia pallasii, A, cephalon and first pereonite, B, fifth pleonite, pleotelson and uropods. 97, Ligidium gracile, A, lateral view of cephalon and first pereonite, B, fifth pleonite, pleotelson and uropods, C, second male pleopod. 98, Ligidium latum, A, lateral view of cephalon and first pereonite, B, second male pleopod.

Plate 19. Isopoda. Oniscidea: 99, Haplophthalmus danicus. 100, Brackenridgia heroldi, cephalon and first pereonite.101, Detonella papillicornis. 102, Armadilloniscus lindahli, A, lateral view of whole animal, B, dorsal view of cephalon, C, fourth and fifth pleonite, pleotelson and uropods. 103, Armadilloniscus coronacapitalis, A, female cephalon and first pereonite, B, male seventh pereopod.

Plate 20. Isopoda. Oniscidea: 104, Armadilloniscus holmesi, A, cephalon and first pereonite, B, male seventh pereopod. 105, Alloniscus mirabilis. 106, Alloniscus perconvexus, third-fifth pleonite, pleotelson and uropods. 107, Littorophiloscia richardsonae. 108, Niambia capensis. 109, Platyarthrus aiasensis, A, cephalon and first pereonite, B, pleon, pleotelson and uropods.

Plate 21. Isopoda. Oniscidea: 110, Porcellionides floria, frontal view of cephalon. 111, Porcellio dilatatus, A, cephalon and first pereonite, B, fourth and fifth pleonite, pleotelson and uropods. 112, Porcellio scaber, A, cephalon and first pereonite, B, fourth and fifth pleonite, pleotelson and uropods.113, Porcellio laevis, A, cephalon and first pereonite, B, fourth and fifth pleonite, pleotelson and uropods. 114, Armadillidium vulgare, A, lateral view of whole animal, B, frontal view of cephalon, C, fifth pleonite, pleotelson and uropods. 115, Venezillo microphthalmus, A, lateral view of whole animal, B, frontal view of cephalon, C, fifth pleonite, pleotelson and uropods (115C after Arcangeli, 1932).

About This Page

Richard Brusca
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Vania R. Coelho
Dominican University of California, San Rafael, California, USA

Stefano Taiti

Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to Richard Brusca at and Vania R. Coelho at

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