''Armadillidium nasatum'', the nosy pill woodlouse, is a large, Western European-based species of

woodlouse Woodlice are terrestrial isopods in the suborder Oniscidea. Their name is derived from being often found in old wood, and from louse, a parasitic insect, although woodlice are neither parasitic nor insects. Woodlice evolved from marine isopods ...

that has been introduced to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, along with ''

Armadillidium vulgare ''Armadillidium vulgare'', the common pill-bug, common pill woodlouse, roly-poly, slater, doodle bug, or carpenter, is a widespread European species of woodlouse. It is the most extensively investigated terrestrial isopod species. It is native t ...

'' also found in other parts of Europe.

Description

''Armadillidium nasatum'' can reach lengths of up to 21 millimetres.Powerpoint Presentation - nasatum.pdf
/ref> Like ''Armadillidium depressum'', it does not form a complete ball when enrolled. Though similar in outwards appearance to ''Armadillidium vulgare'' in dark grey color, the main distinguishing feature is a rectangular-like protrusion ("nose") towards the apex of the head. The tail (

telson The telson () is the hindmost division of the body of an arthropod. Depending on the definition, the telson is either considered to be the final segment (biology), segment of the arthropod body, or an additional division that is not a true segm ...

) has a rounded tip with incurved sides, as opposed to most genus '' Armadillidium'' species which have a smaller, flat tail. Pale longitudinal stripes spanning from head to rear are seen on some individuals, though this is variable and is not a diagnostic feature. , Armadillidium_nasatum-dorsal.jpg, ''A. nasatum'': note the "nose" and large telson Armadillidium_vulgare-dorsal.jpg, ''A. vulgare'': no "nose" and smaller telson

Distribution

''Armadillidium nasatum'' occurs in patches in southern

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, with concentrated areas in its range and sporadic occurrences in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. It lives in dryer areas than most woodlice, is

synanthropic A synanthrope (from ancient Greek σύν ''sýn'' "together, with" and ἄνθρωπος ''ánthrōpos'' "man") is an organism that evolved to live near humans and benefit from human settlements and their environmental modifications (see also ...

, and is frequently found in non-inhabited areas such as railway lines and industrial waste ground. Like other woodlice, it is found under stones and wood.

Subspecies

There are five recognized subspecies in the species ''Armadillidium nasatum'': * '' Armadillidium nasatum flava'' Colinge, 1989 * '' Armadillidium nasatum mehelyi'' Verhoeff, 1930 * '' Armadillidium nasatum nasatum'' Budde-Lund, 1885 * '' Armadillidium nasatum nigrescens'' Collinge, 1918 * '' Armadillidium nasatum saidovni'' Arcangeli, 1950

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2585227 Woodlice of Europe Crustaceans described in 1885