Idotea balthica
| Idotea balthica | |
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| Species: | I. balthica
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| Idotea balthica (Pallas, 1772)
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Idotea balthica is a marine isopod which lives on seaweed and seagrass[1] in the subtidal zone of rocky shores and sandy lagoons.
Distribution
Idotea balthica has a broad geographical distribution, having been recorded from the Belgian Exclusive Economic Zone, The British Isles, Cobscook Bay, Dutch Exclusive Economic Zone, European waters, Greek Exclusive Economic Zone, Gulf of Maine, Knokke, North West Atlantic, Red Sea, Voordelta, West Coast of Norway, Wimereux and the Black Sea.[2]
Characteristics
The male is larger than female, and can reach 4 centimetres (1.6 in) long.[3] The color of the body is extremely variable, ranging from muted greens to striking black-and-silver patternings; the female is usually darker.[3] The species can be distinguished from other idoteids by the shape of the telson, which is dorsally keeled with straight sides in I. balthica, and has a distinct protrusion at the end.[3]
Foraging
Adults are potentially omnivorous,[4] but mainly feed on different types of vegetation. In the Baltic, these include brown algae (Fucus spp., Elachista fucicola, Pylaiella littoralis), green algae (Cladophora glomerata, Ulva spp.), and Phanerogams (Stuckenia pectinata, Ruppia spp., Zostera marina)[5].
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In the Baltic, I. balthica prefers Fucus vesiculosus, an algal seaweed, as host plant over other algae and vascular plants.[6] The apical and basal parts of F. vesiculosus differ as food and as shelter, and males grow faster when fed with the apical parts, but females grow equally well with both.[7]
References
- ^ "Baltic Isopod - Idotea balthica - Details - Encyclopedia of Life". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 2016-03-25.
- ^ Gary Poore & Marilyn Schotte (2011). Schotte M, Boyko CB, Bruce NL, Poore GC, Taiti S, Wilson GD (eds.). "Idotea balthica (Pallas, 1772)". World Marine, Freshwater and Terrestrial Isopod Crustaceans database. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
- ^ a b c Kåre Telsnes. "Baltic Isopod – Idotea balthica". The Marine Flora & Fauna of Norway. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
- ^ Salemaa, Heikki (1978). "Geographical variability in the colour polymorphism of Idotea baltica (Isopoda) in the northern Baltic". Hereditas. 88 (2): 165–182. doi:10.1111/j.1601-5223.1978.tb01619.x. ISSN 1601-5223.
- ^ Leidenberger, Sonja; Harding, Karin; Jonsson, Per R. (2012-05-01). "Ecology and Distribution of the Isopod Genus Idotea in the Baltic Sea: Key Species in a Changing Environment". Journal of Crustacean Biology. 32 (3): 359–389. doi:10.1163/193724012X626485. ISSN 0278-0372.
- ^ Salemaa, Heikki (1978). "Herbivory and microhabitat preferences of Idotea spp. (Isopoda) in the northern Baltic Sea". Ophelia. 27 (1): 1–15. doi:10.1080/00785236.1987.10422007. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ Vesakoski, Outi; Merilaita, Sami; Jormalainen, Veijo (2008). "Reckless males, rational females: Dynamic trade-off between food and shelter in the marine isopod Idotea balthica". Behavioural Processes. 79 (3): 175–181. doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2008.07.005. PMID 18692551. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
External links
- Photos of Idotea balthica on Sealife Collection