''Armadillidium atticum'' is a

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

of woodlouse endemic to

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...

. It is a relatively small species and belongs to the so called "'' Armadillidium insulanum'' complex".

Taxonomy

''Armadilliidum atticum'' was originally described as a distinct species of '' Armadillidium'' based on specimens collected from the surroundings of

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

. It belongs to the "Armadillidiae" section of the genus, which is characterized by rib-like side edges of the forehead that never form a "frontal brim" along with the frontal shield, a frontal triangle with lateral edges that never reach the areas of the ocelli, relatively steeply-dropping epimera on all tergites and anterior lobes of the first pair of epimera that are usually either not curved upwards or with a slight hint of a bend. Additionally, the species is part of the "''Armadillidium insulanum'' complex", a group of closely related, small sized pill bugs that occur in various Aegean Islands and the nearby Greek and Turkish coasts. Specifically, within this group, ''Armadillidium atticum'' is most closely related to ''Armadillidium insulanum'' sensu lato, from which it can safely been separated only by the more elongated first pleopod-exopodite of the male. Historically, three subspecies of ''Armadillidium atticum'' have been described. However, their validity is disputed with various sources accepting none, some or all of them. The subspecies, and their diagnostic characters, are the following: *''Armadillidium atticum atticum'' (Strouhal, 1929): Being the nominate subspecies, it is characterized by the very long posterior lobe of the first pleopod-exopodite of the male and the wide and deep groove found in the middle of the head, immediately behind the frontal shield. *''Armadillidium atticum brevipes'' (Strouhal, 1937): This subspecies has the posterior lobe of the first pleopod-exopodite much shorter, being only about half as long as the anterior one. *''Armadillidium atticum cythnium'' (Strouhal, 1937): This subspecies holds an intermediate position between the other two, as it is characterized by a posterior lobe which is longer than that of ''A. atticum brevipes'', but shorter than that of ''A. atticum atticum''. It also has a much narrower and shallower head-groove than ''A. atticum atticum''.

Description

''Armadillidium atticum'' is a small to medium sized species, reaching maximum dimensions of only about 13.5 x 5.8 mm. Its tergites are covered with granulations and the coloration of the body consists of a pale greyish-brown hue with lighter epimera. The frontal shield surpasses the anterior edge of the head, has a straight to curved upper margin and its lateral corners are pronounced. The head itself has a groove in the middle, immediately behind the frontal shield. The lobes of the secondary antennae are trapezoidal and the distal article of the

flagellum A flagellum (; ) is a hairlike appendage that protrudes from certain plant and animal sperm cells, and from a wide range of microorganisms to provide motility. Many protists with flagella are termed as flagellates. A microorganism may have f ...

is slightly longer than the first. The hind margins of the first pair of epimera are rounded. The telson is triangular, as wide as long and has straight sides and a rounded tip. Concerning the sexual characters of the male, the first pereiopod has a weakly developed brush of short spines on the carpus and the seventh pereiopod a ventrally concave ischium, decorated with a longitudinal hair-field at the apical part. The first pleopod has an exopodite with a narrow, elongated posterior lobe and an endopodite with straight apex. Armadillidium atticum specimen

Distribution

''Armadillidium atticum'' is endemic to

Central Greece Continental Greece ( el, Στερεά Ελλάδα, Stereá Elláda; formerly , ''Chérsos Ellás''), colloquially known as Roúmeli (Ρούμελη), is a traditional geographic region of Greece. In English, the area is usually called Central ...

and Cyclades. In particular, until now, the species has been found in the region of

Attica Attica ( el, Αττική, Ancient Greek ''Attikḗ'' or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the city of Athens, the capital of Greece and its countryside. It is a peninsula projecting into the Aegean ...

on the mainland and the islands of

Euboea Evia (, ; el, Εύβοια ; grc, Εὔβοια ) or Euboia (, ) is the second-largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. It is separated from Boeotia in mainland Greece by the narrow Euripus Strait (only at its narrowest poi ...

, Salamis,

Aegina Aegina (; el, Αίγινα, ''Aígina'' ; grc, Αἴγῑνα) is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece in the Saronic Gulf, from Athens. Tradition derives the name from Aegina, the mother of the hero Aeacus, who was born on the island an ...

and Kythnos in the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi ( Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans ...

Ecology

''Armadillidium atticum'' is a relatively xerophilic species which can be found in various typical Mediterranean habitats, like

maquis Maquis may refer to: Resistance groups * Maquis (World War II), predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance * Spanish Maquis, guerrillas who fought against Francoist Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War * The netwo ...

, phrygana and their intermediate morphs. Additionally, it is synanthropic and can frequently be found in croplands and in or around

human settlement In geography, statistics and archaeology, a settlement, locality or populated place is a community in which people live. The complexity of a settlement can range from a minuscule number of dwellings grouped together to the largest of citi ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3916389 Woodlice Woodlice of Europe Crustaceans described in 1929