Wharf Roach
Ligia exotica
Summary 6
Ligia exotica or the wharf roach is a woodlouse-like isopod, a sea slater in the family Ligiidae. It is found in various parts of the world living on rocky coasts and harbour walls just above high water mark.
Distribution 7
On the Atlantic coast of the US, the nonindiginous species L. exotica has been reported from New Jersey south through Florida. The species also occurs in coastal Texas and, as of 1996, has been recorded from Hawaii as well (Eldredge and Smith 2001). Sizable numbers of L. exotica are commonly observed scurrying across the surfaces of rocks and pilings above the water line in harbors and on jetties throughout the India River Lagoon region of Florida.
Size 8
The NEMESIS database indicates that adults are typically in the 2-3 cm size range but that adult males can grow to nearly 4 cm. NEMESIS indicates that although the lifespan of this species is not definitively known, the typical lifespan averaged among several congeners is approximately 2 years.
Reproduction 9
Lopes et al. (2006) report the reproductive season of L exotica at two localities in Brazil to extend from approximately September or October to approximately May or June. These authors note that over a breeding season clutches from Ligia populations in Brazil contained between 25 and 142 eggs/embryos, with a mean ranging from around 73 to 88 eggs/embryos.Females can reproduce multiple times a year and they exhibit a trait called ovigery, which means they carry their fertilized eggs outside their body, holding onto them with specialized egg-bearing appendages (Chesapeake Bay Introduced Species Database).
Link to Access Genomic Data 10
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=142080&lvl=0
Sources and Credits
- (c) 素珍 徐, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/11679764@N03/4632278668
- (c) Cullen Hanks, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Cullen Hanks
- (c) Wikimedia Commons, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/Ligia_exotica.jpg/460px-Ligia_exotica.jpg
- (c) Stu Phillips, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Ligia_exotica%2C_Darwin%2C_Australia.jpg
- (c) mwms1916, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/mmwm/10073494065/
- Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligia_exotica
- Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11526339
- (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11526344
- Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11526343
- (c) Emily Rose Sharkey, all rights reserved
