Haplophthalmus mengii

Haplophthalmus mengii
A scientific illustration of Haplophthalmus mengii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Clade:	Pancrustacea
Class:	Malacostraca
Order:	Isopoda
Suborder:	Oniscidea
Family:	Trichoniscidae
Genus:	Haplophthalmus
Species:	H. mengii
Binomial name
Haplophthalmus mengii (Zaddach, 1844)
Synonyms
Haplophthalmus cottianus Verhoeff, 1936 Haplophthalmus dollfusi Verhoeff, 1901 Haplophthalmus elegans Schöbl, 1860 Haplophthalmus mengei (Zaddach, 1844) Haplophthalmus mengei africanus Vandel, 1959 Haplophthalmus mengei cottianus Verhoeff, 1936 Haplophthalmus perezi Legrand, 1943 Haplophthalmus portofinensis Verhoeff, 1908 Haplophthalmus verhoeffi Strouhal, 1948 Itea mengii Zaddach, 1844

Haplophthalmus mengii, also commonly known as Menge's ridgeback, is a species of woodlouse that belongs to the family Trichoniscidae. This species can be found in Europe and Canada.

Taxonomy

This species currently contains two subspecies. They are listed below:

1. Haplophthalmus mengii lagrecai Brian, 1952
2. Haplophthalmus mengii mengii (Zaddach, 1844)

Distribution

This species can be found across Europe. It was believed that Haplophthalmus danicus (spurred ridgeback isopod) was the only member of the genus that can be found in North America. However it was discovered that Haplophthalmus mengii can be found in Canada. Within its range, this species can be found across a wide variety of natural and synanthropic habitats.

Description

It is a small species being 4mm in length. This species has distinct longitudinal dorsal ridges and a distinct pair of dorsal projections located on the third pleonite which is similar to Haplophthalmus montivagus (Southern Ridgeback). Differentiating this species from Haplophthalmus montivagus is difficult and requires the dissection and microscopic examination of a male member of its species. When identifying a species, it is advised to always check identification derived from keys and not rely on how common a species is in an area.