Caecidotea communis (Say, 1818)
Synonyms
Asellus communis Say, 1818
Status:
- GB IUCN status: Not applicable (non-native)
- GB rarity status: Naturalised
ID Difficulty
Identification
Caecidotea communis is generally a larger species with a looser, more ‘floppy’, appearance than Asellus aquaticus or Proasellus meridianus (Harding & Collis, 2006). The shape of the male first pereopod is diagnostic.
Distribution
Caecidotea communis is introduced from North America and is only known from Bolam Lake in Northumberland, where it appears to occur at the exclusion of the typically ubiquitous Asellus aquaticus.
Habitat
It generally occurs in clear water with a substrate of mud or fine gravel and large quantities of decaying leaves from trees and shrubs (Harding & Collis, 2006).
References
Harding, P.T. & Collis, G.M. (2006) Asellus communis in Northumberland. Bulletin of the British Myriapod & Isopod Group 21: 8-11
Links
World List of Marine, Freshwater and Terrestrial Isopod Crustaceans: https://www.marinespecies.org/isopoda/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=259539
BRC code
91
idBmigTaxa
Cru_1152