woodlouse en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈwʊdˌlaʊs/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From wood + louse.
Meanings
-
Any of various small terrestrial isopod crustaceans of suborder Oniscidea, having a rigid segmented exoskeleton, usually feeding on dead plant matter and living in damp, dark places, such as under stones or bark. Several common species roll into a ball when disturbed, hence names such as pill bug and roly-poly.
At the time the Burgess Shale was laid down, life on land was pretty unexciting – there were a few primitive clubmosses and liverworts growing in wet areas near water, but little else. There would also have been a strand-line of washed-up plants and animals, edible detritus that was tantalisingly out of reach of the water-bound animals of the day. Inevitably, before long some arthropods began to drag themselves ashore to take advantage of these untapped resources. Their external skeletons, which perhaps originally evolved as a defence against predators, helped to support their bodies on land, giving them an edge in colonisation there over soft-bodied sea animals such as jellyfish and worms. To start with, these animals would presumably have been poorly waterproofed and had to return to water very regularly to prevent themselves drying out; or they would have had to stay in the dampest places, amongst rotting weed or damp moss. […] As the plants slowly adapted to life on land and spread away from the seas, they also grew taller as the competition for light intensified. To follow them, the animals had to improve their waterproofing. Some animal groups never really got the hang of this; for example, the few crustaceans that successfully invaded land, such as woodlice, are restricted to damp places to this day. Others, such as arachnids, evolved more-or-less waterproof cuticles and eggs, so that they were able to leave water far behind and occupy even the most inhospitable, arid environments on Earth.
2015, Dave Goulson, A Buzz in the Meadow: The Natural History of a French Farm, Picador, →ISBN, pages 24-25:The sections allow woodlice to bend and curve their armored bodies. Some types of woodlice can roll into a tight ball. They do this to protect themselves when threatened by a predator. Female woodlice carry their eggs in a liquid-filled pouch under their bodies. When the young woodlice hatch from the eggs, they crawl out of the pouch.
2011, Ruth Owen, Creepy Backyard Invaders, page 18:In addition, both the woodlouse and the crayfish possess an unpaired medial nerve which runs along the whole length of the ventral nerve cord, linking adjacent ganglia.
1995, Olaf Breidbach, Wolfram Kutsch, editors, The Nervous Systems of Invertebrates: An Evolutionary and Comparative Approach, page 193:Woodlice commonly produce offspring 1–3 times per year, with spring and autumn broods most common. Woodlice often survive for longer than a year, with longevity of 2–5 years not uncommon.
2001, John L. Capinera, editor, Handbook of Vegetable Pests, page 566:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| woodlice | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
sea woodlouse · woodlouse spider
Hypernyms
crustacean · arthropod · isopod
Hyponyms
lugdor · lockchester · carpenter · armadillid · roly-poly · rolly polly · cheslip · porcellionid · doodlebug · slater · sowpig · grammersow · sea slater · pill bug · butcher boy · armadillidiid · potato bug · armadillo bug · cheeselog
Relateds
Oniscidea · Armadillidium · Ligiamorpha
Synonyms
sowbug (local and regional terms) · pill bug (local and regional terms) · cheese-bug (local and regional terms) · woodlouse · roly poly (local and regional terms) · chucky pig (local and regional terms) · oniscid (any species of suborder Oniscidea) · butcher boy (local and regional terms) · monkey pea (local and regional terms) · roly-poly (local and regional terms) · cheeselog (local and regional terms) · grammersow (local and regional terms) · slater (local and regional terms) · cheesybug (local and regional terms) · oniscidean (any species of suborder Oniscidea) · lobster lug (local and regional terms) · doodlebug (local and regional terms) · sowpig (local and regional terms) · chiggypig (local and regional terms) · rolly polly (local and regional terms) · armadillo bug (local and regional terms)
Translations (126)
gd corra-chòsag (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · gd còsag (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · et kakand (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · fo grátt undir steini (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · la tylos (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · vi mọt ẩm (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · fy krobbe (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · de Landassel (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · fi saunamaija (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · ar قَمْل الخَشَب (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · ota تسبیح بوجكی (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · nn tusselus (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · gd reudan (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · cv кӑркаяк (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · cmn 藥丸蟲 /药丸虫 (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · ru мокри́ца (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · an cochinilla (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · no munkelus (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · el καβρομαμούνα (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · cy pryf lludw (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · cs svinka (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · an tocinet (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · pt bicho-de-conta (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · id kutu kayu (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · gl porquiño de santo Antón (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · te నామవాచకం (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · cv ҫӗрхут (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · gd sglèatag (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · km ខ្មូតដី (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · my ပိုးလုံးကောင် (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · gd mial-choille (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · is grálodda (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · br laou-dar (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · grc ὀνίσκος (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · ast gocha (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · is grápadda (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · eo onisko (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · bg мокри́ца (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · cs autobus (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · uz eshakqurt (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · es cochinilla (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · cv кӑпшанкӑ (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · ja 草鞋虫 (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · kk есекқұрт (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · ga cláirseach (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · el ονίσκος (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · gd cailleach-chòsag (Uist) (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · fy stienkrobbe (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · no tussalus (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · sk svinka (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · gd cailleach-Eòsag (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · de Kellerassel (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · kw gwragh oles (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · es cochinilla de humedad (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · hi काष्ठ यूका (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · es bichobolita (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · pt tatuzinho (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · es bicho bolita (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · an tocineta de tierra (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · hu pinceászka (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · tr tespih böceği (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · cy gwrach y lludw (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · ja 団子虫 (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · hu érdes pinceászka (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · gd cailleach-cheòsach (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · ca porquet de Sant Antoni (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · grc κουβαρίς (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · fa خر خاکی (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · yue 木蝨 /木虱 (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · nn kaffebiller (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · fr cloporte (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · hu gömbászka (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · ga míol críon (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · nn skrukketroll (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · tk eşekýassyk (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · sh мокрица (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · lt vėdarėlis (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · it armadillo volgare (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · cmn 土鱉蟲 /土鳖虫 (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · cmn 木蝨 /木虱 (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · an cochineta (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · pt porca-sara (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · da bænkebider (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · sh mokrica (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · hi दीमक (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · es marranito (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · uk мокри́ця (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · fr cochon de saint Antoine (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · ky нымсакчы (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · pt tatuzinho-de-jardim (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · be макры́ца (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · nv wónitłʼizí (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · cv тӗклӗ таракан (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · no skrukketroll (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · az məryəmqurdu (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · nl varkensbeest (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · it onisco (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · de Assel (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · nl keldermot (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · mi pāpapa (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · pt tatu-de-jardim (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · cy mochyn coed (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · hy նեպուկ (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · ckb خِلێرە (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · la oniscus (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · es chanchito de tierra (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · it porcellino di terra (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · nn munkelus (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · io aselo (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · es chanchito (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · sco slater (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · eu kukurutx (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · sv gråsugga (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · sl lesna uš (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · es porqueta (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · ba ҡырғаяҡ (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · ko 쥐며느리 (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · fi siira (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · nl pissebed (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · pl stonoga (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · cmn 潮蟲 /潮虫 (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · vi bọ đất (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · no kaffebiller (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · nrf trie d'bouais (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · sl krovec (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea) · gd cailleach-chòsach (small land crustacean of suborder Oniscidea)