''Ligia occidentalis'', the western sea slater, is a species of sea slater of the family

Ligiidae Ligiidae is a family of woodlice, the only family in the infraorder Diplocheta. Its members are common on rocky shores, in similar habitats to those inhabited by species of the bristletail '' Petrobius'' and the crab '' Cyclograpsus''. The famil ...

, in the genus

Ligia ''Ligia'' is a genus of isopods, commonly known as rock lice or sea slaters. Most ''Ligia'' species live in tidal zone cliffs and rocky beaches, but there are several fully terrestrial species which occur in high-humidity environments. Ecolo ...

. ''L. occidentalis'' is a habitat generalist of rocky shores. It is found on the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

coast of North America from

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. The western sea slater is separated from '' L. pallasii'' by its much longer uropods and its larger eyes which are set closer together, along with its sleeker body. This species has a tendency to bolt when disturbed. These sea slaters hide in rocky crevices above the high tide line during the day. It may emerge at night or in cooler weather to scavenge for algae and detritus along beaches or rocky cliffs. Western sea slaters must keep their gills moist in order to breathe but they cannot survive long underwater and will drown.

References

Isopoda Articles created by Qbugbot Crustaceans described in 1853 {{isopod-stub