''Philoscia muscorum'', the common striped woodlouse or fast woodlouse, is a common European

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 ...

. It is widespread in

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, the

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and is found from southern

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and

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. It has also spread to

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and many

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, also the mid-Atlantic states of

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and

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, as well as

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Description

''P. muscorum'' may reach in length, with a shiny body which is mottled and greyish-brown in colour. The fast woodlouse is, as its name suggests, faster than other common species; its body is raised up off the ground rather more than the others and the head is always very dark in colour.

Classification

Twelve

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

are recognised: *''Philoscia muscorum albescens'' Collinge, 1918 *''Philoscia muscorum aureomaculata'' Collinge, 1918 *''Philoscia muscorum biellensis'' Verhoeff, 1936 *''Philoscia muscorum dalmatia'' Verhoeff, 1901 *''Philoscia muscorum frigidana'' Verhoeff, 1928 *''Philoscia muscorum maculata'' Collinge, 1918 *''Philoscia muscorum marinensis'' Verhoeff, 1933 *''Philoscia muscorum muscorum'' (Scopoli, 1763) *''Philoscia muscorum rufa'' Legrand, 1943 *''Philoscia muscorum standeni'' Collinge, 1917 *''Philoscia muscorum triangulifera'' Verhoeff, 1918 *''Philoscia muscorum virescens'' Collinge, 1917

Color variation

''P. muscorum'' has variable coloration. While most commonly brown or grey, it may also be yellow, red, or orange. Three Philoscia muscorum woodlice

References

Woodlice Crustaceans described in 1763 Woodlice of Europe Taxa named by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli {{isopod-stub

Description

Classification

Color variation

See also

References