Sri Lanka is an island close to the southern end of India with a tropical environment. The invertebrate fauna is as large as it is common to other regions of the world. There are about two million species of arthropods found in the world, and still it is counting with many new species still being discovered. It is very complicated and difficult to summarize the exact number of species found within a certain region.
The following list provide the isopods of Sri Lanka.
Isopods Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Malacostraca Order: Isopoda
Isopods also known as sowbugs, are crustaceans, that can be found throughout marine, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems. There are well over 10,000 species of isopods described within 11 suborders. From these, about 4,500 species are marine, 500 species are freshwater and 5,000 are terrestrial forms. They are typically flattened dorsoventrally with two pairs of antennae, seven pairs of jointed limbs on thorax, and five pairs of branching appendages on the abdomen.
The studies on isopods of Sri Lanka clearly studied with the separation of aquatic isopods and terrestrial isopods. Regarding freshwater isopods, the first taxonomic work was done by Fernando and Hanek in 1973. They recorded only two isopods from freshwater bodies in Sri Lanka.
The two terrestrial families of isopods, Trachelipidae and Porcellionidae have been studied by Ferrara and Argano. According to them, three species of Trachelipidae and five of Porcellionidae are recorded from Sri Lanka.
The following checklist on Sri Lankan isopods described 92 species within 53 genera.
Family: Aegidae Aegiochus vigilans Alitropus typus Rocinela orientalis
Family: Agnaridae Agnara fragilis Agnara taprobanica
Family: Anthuridae Amakusanthura moragallae Apanthura stocki Cyathura bentotae Cyathura indica Cyathura pusilla Haliophasma poorei Mesanthura maculata
Family: Arcturidae Amesopous richardsonae
Family: Armadillidae Akermania besucheti Cubaris fritschei
Family: Cirolanidae Anopsilana willeyi Cirolana bovina Cirolana parva Cirolana sulcaticauda Conilorpheus herdmani
Family: Corallanidae Argathona normani Argathona rhinoceros Corallana nodosa Lanocira gardineri Lanocira zeylanica
Family: Cymothoidae Anilocra dimidiata Anilocra leptosoma Cymothoa eremita Cymothoa pulchra Elthusa nanoides Mothocya melanosticta Mothocya plagulophora Nerocila serra Nerocila sigani
Family: Gnathiidae Elaphognathia insolita Gnathia taprobanensis
Family: Gnathostenetroididae Anneckella srilankae - ssp. rectecopulans, srilankae
Family: Idoteidae Synidotea variegata
Family: Janiridae Carpias nana Iais pubescens
Family: Joeropsididae Joeropsis ceylonensis Joeropsis curvicornis Joeropsis indicus
Family: Ligiidae Ligia exotica
Family: Microcerberidae Coxicerberus singhalensis
Family: Mysidae Lycomysis spinicauda Mesopodopsis zeylanica Siriella paulsoni
Family: Oniscidae Exalloniscus brincki
Family: Philosciidae
Burmoniscus anderssoni Burmoniscus bartolozzii Burmoniscus beroni Burmoniscus besucheti Burmoniscus calcaratus Burmoniscus cederholmi Burmoniscus clarus Burmoniscus davisi Burmoniscus gibbosus Burmoniscus loebli Burmoniscus longicaudatus Burmoniscus micropunctatus Burmoniscus parviocellatus Burmoniscus rowei Burmoniscus setiger Burmoniscus stilifer Burmoniscus xanthocephalus Littorophiloscia tropicalis Philoscia mendica Philoscia pubescens Platycytoniscus granulatus Serendibia denticulata Sinhaloscia dimorpha
Family: Pleurocopidae Pleurocope dasyure
Family: Porcellionidae Porcellionides pruinosus Porcellio scaber Porcellio dilatatus
Family: Protojaniridae Enckella lucei - ssp. lucei, major
Family: Scleropactidae Adinda pulchra Adinda scabra Paratoradjia beroni
Family: Sphaeromatidae Cerceis tuberculata Cilicaea beddardi Cilicaea latreillei Cilicaeopsis whiteleggei Cymodoce bicarinata Cymodoce inornata Dynoides indicus Sphaeroma annandalei Sphaeroma terebrans Sphaeroma walker
Family: Stenetriidae Hansenium chiltoni
Family: Trachelipodidae Nagurus cristatus Nagurus nanus Nagurus travancorius
References