The moult cycle of the terrestrial isopod<i>Armadillo officinalis</i>Duméril, 1816 (Crustacea: Isopoda: Oniscidea)

Montesanto, Giuseppe; Cividini, Sofia

doi:10.1111/azo.12210

Cited by 12 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…In the present study, the cuticles of the posterior body of B. crangorum were shed in fragments, whereas the anterior body was shed in one large piece. The interval between the posterior and anterior moults was comparable to that from a single observation reported by Cash and Bauer (1993) in P. pandalicola, which was 2.5 h. However, this period was much shorter than that of free-living isopods, which can last anywhere from 1 to 5 days (Tait, 1917; Johnson, 1985; Vittori et al ., 2012; Montesanto and Cividini, 2018), aquatic isopods, which can be 24 h (Marcus, 1990), and parasitic cymotoid isopods, which can be 2–3 days (Panakkool-Thamban and Kappalli, 2020). The shorter moulting cycle of bopyrid isopods is likely an adaptive strategy to deal with the shorter time required to complete the reproductive cycle before the next host ecdysis to avoid expulsion.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive behaviour of the branchial ectoparasite Bopyrus crangorum (Isopoda: Bopyridae) following ecdysis of the host Palaemon serrifer (Caridea: Palaemonidae)

Burgos,

Itani

2023

J. Mar. Biol. Ass.

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The reproduction of bopyrid isopod parasites is thought to occur immediately following host ecdysis, but direct observations supporting this hypothesis are limited. The aim of this study was to describe the reproductive behaviour of the bopyrid isopod Bopyrus crangorum relative to host ecdysis based on video recordings. Several hours after host ecdysis, biphasic moulting of female parasites was observed. The cuticle of the posterior body was shed before that of the anterior body at an interval of 1 h. Two hours after female moulting, the male repeatedly moved from its initial position between the female pleopods and stopped at the anterior end of the fifth oostegite, immediately above the gonopore. To our knowledge, this repeated visiting behaviour by males has not been previously observed in bopyrid isopods. Oviposition through the female gonopore occurred 33 min later. The male-removal experiment showed that females with their males removed after visits to the gonopore oviposited eggs, whereas females with their males removed before visits did not. We propose that repeated visits by males to the gonopore are attempts to inseminate the female. We hypothesised that sperm are released onto the external surface of each gonopore and that the eggs are fertilised as they pass through the opening, which would explain the synchronous development of fertilised eggs inside the marsupium. The present study provides new information on the life history of bopyrid isopods, which allows for a better understanding of the host–parasite relationship.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive behaviour of the branchial ectoparasite Bopyrus crangorum (Isopoda: Bopyridae) following ecdysis of the host Palaemon serrifer (Caridea: Palaemonidae)

Burgos,

Itani

2023

J. Mar. Biol. Ass.

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“…For each animal, we evaluated both sex and molt stage (Montesanto and Cividini 2018) and measured the width of the cephalothorax (CT) in mm. Using the median value of CT (4.209 mm) as the central position index, animals were then categorized into two groups: smaller sizes (< 4.209 mm) and larger sizes (≥ 4.209 mm).…”

Section: Sampling and Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are terrestrial isopods able to use stridulation and vibrational communication as forms of intra and interspecific signaling and defense strategies as insects do? A preliminary study in Armadillo officinalis

Cividini

Sfenthourakis

Montesanto

2019

Sci Nat

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The capability of producing sounds and vibrations is well known in insects and is thought to be a form of intra-and interspecific communication. Sounds and vibrations are used and modulated for several aims such as interacting with conspecifics, getting information from the environment, and defending against predators. This phenomenon is less known but also present in other arthropods, including a few roller-type terrestrial isopods. In this study, we used a Y-shape test apparatus to investigate the behavior of adult individuals of Armadillo officinalis Duméril, 1816 (Crustacea: Isopoda: Oniscidea) when exposed to two particular vibrational stimuli, namely species-specific stridulations and non-specific substrate-borne vibrations. Our results showed that adults of A. officinalis significantly react to the presence of both types of vibrational stimuli, by moving away from the vibrational source as if they experienced these vibrations as a sign of danger or disturbance. A. officinalis can produce stridulations only when it rolls into a ball during the so-called conglobation, a possible defense mechanism against predators. Stridulation might thus be a secondary form of defense used during conglobation to deter a predator following contact with it and might be experienced as an alert by conspecifics nearby. The high sensitivity to non-specific substrate-borne vibrations might provide A. officinalis with the possibility to anticipate dangers and adverse conditions, giving it a better chance of survival.

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“…Sampling was done in October 2015. Animals in the intermoult stage (5 adult specimens per species), identified by the lack of external signs of moulting such as sternal CaCO 3 deposits, were used for the study (Neues et al 2011;Seidl and Ziegler 2012;Montesanto and Cividini 2017).…”

Section: Study Area and Biological Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cuticular differences of the exoskeleton relative to habitat preferences among three terrestrial isopods

et al. 2018

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Terrestrial isopods have adapted to land life by diverse morphological, physiological and behavioral changes. Isopod species exhibit a large variety of preferences ranging from moist to dry habitats. Isopod cuticle is an interesting model for studying adaptations to terrestrial life. The cuticle consists of a hierarchically organized material which provides protection and sites for muscle attachment. The present paper aimed to investigate the structure of the cuticle in three isopod species in order to relate some peculiar features to an adaptive process to environmental constraints. Results showed that general thickness of Ligia italica cuticle was quite similar to that observed in Porcellio lamellatus. Nevertheless, this cuticle was half as thick as in Porcellio laevis. Although the positive relationship found between total body lengths and the total thickness of the cuticle, the exocuticle did not show any differences between the three species. However, it is the development of a thicker endocuticle in P. laevis which make its total cuticle thickness more important.

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The moult cycle of the terrestrial isopodArmadillo officinalisDuméril, 1816 (Crustacea: Isopoda: Oniscidea)

Cited by 12 publications

References 34 publications

Reproductive behaviour of the branchial ectoparasite Bopyrus crangorum (Isopoda: Bopyridae) following ecdysis of the host Palaemon serrifer (Caridea: Palaemonidae)

Reproductive behaviour of the branchial ectoparasite Bopyrus crangorum (Isopoda: Bopyridae) following ecdysis of the host Palaemon serrifer (Caridea: Palaemonidae)

Are terrestrial isopods able to use stridulation and vibrational communication as forms of intra and interspecific signaling and defense strategies as insects do? A preliminary study in Armadillo officinalis

Cuticular differences of the exoskeleton relative to habitat preferences among three terrestrial isopods

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