Myrmecodillo

Myrmecodillo
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Isopoda
Suborder: Oniscidea
Family: Armadillidae
Genus: Myrmecodillo
Arcangeli, 1934

Myrmecodillo is a genus of woodlice belonging to the family Armadillidae. This genus was described in 1934 by Alceste Arcangeli. The type specimen for this species is a Myrmecodillo hypselos from Krantzkloof.[1] There are currently seven species in this genus.[2]

Description

Myrmecodillo sp. have uncovered pleopodal lungs where the surface of the lung, on the dorsal side of the exopod, consists of many tubuliform folds connected with one another. This is unusual in Armadillidae but is present in some other genera including Sinodillo and Rhodesillo.[3]

All species have ornamentation on their dorsal surface.[4]

Distribution

This genus has been found on a number of islands including the Bismarck Archipelago, Hawaii, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, Sulawesi, and Tonga as well as in mainland Africa in Natal, South Africa.[5][1]

Behaviour

Myrmecodillo are typically soil-dwelling, with reduced eyes and pigment. Like several other genera in the family Armadillidae, some species have associations with ants.[6]

Species

  • Myrmecodillo hypselos (Barnard, 1932)
  • Myrmecodillo jacksoni (Dalens, 1988)
  • Myrmecodillo otion (Barnard, 1958)
  • Myrmecodillo pacificus Taiti & Ferrara, 1991
  • Myrmecodillo pollex (Barnard, 1936)
  • Myrmecodillo pygmaeus (Vandel, 1973)
  • Myrmecodillo tropicalis Lewis, 1998

References

  1. ^ a b Schmidt, Christian; Leistikow, Andreas (2004). "Catalogue of genera of the terrestrial Isopoda (Crustacea: Isopoda: Oniscidea)". Steenstrupia. 28 (1): 56–57.
  2. ^ "Marine Species Traits - Myrmecodillo Arcangeli, 1934". marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2026-02-25.
  3. ^ Taiti, Stefano; Paoli, Pasquino; Ferrera, Franco (1998). "MORPHOLOGY, BIOGEOGRAPHY, AND ECOLOGY OF THE FAMILY ARMADILLIDAE (CRUSTACEA, ONISCIDEA)". Israel Journal of Zoology. 44: 291–301.
  4. ^ Taiti, Stefano; Fererra, Franco (1991). "Terrestrial isopods (Crustacea) from the Hawaiian Islands". Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 31: 202–227.
  5. ^ Schmalfuss, Helmut (2003). World Catalog of the Terrestrial isopods (Isopoda:Oniscidea). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde, Serie A, Nr. p. 148.
  6. ^ Ziemke, Clayton H.; Jones, Nathan T.; Means, Jackson C.; Ivanov, Kaloyan (2025-10-16). "Novel Ant Associations, New Records, and an Updated Checklist of the Terrestrial Isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) of Puerto Rico". Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 127 (2). doi:10.4289/0013-8797.127.2.253. ISSN 0013-8797.