Mokritsy

The body is oval, convex at the top, the first pair of antennae is underdeveloped and very small, the second is strongly developed. Eyes on sides of head; the upper jaws lack tentacles. The first pectoral segment for the most part covers the head from the sides, the 8th has a deep notch at the back; All 7 pairs of chest legs are of the same structure and are suitable for walking. All segments of abdomen free; the first five pairs of abdominal legs cover each other in a tile-like manner; their inner branch plays the role of the gills , outer - the lid; the solid outer branch of the first pair encloses the air cavities opening to the outside — organs of air breathing; 6 pair of abdominal legs facing back and issued in the interval between 5 and 6 abdominal segment ^[1] .

The most characteristic members of the family belong to the genus Oniscus and Porcellio . Their body is oval, somewhat more narrowed to the back, the forehead with three lobes, the external antennae are almost equal to half of the body, 3, 4 and 5 segments of the abdomen with long backward outward projections ^[1] .

They live on land (although some keep mostly off the coast of fresh or salt water) for the most part in humid places: under stones, under a tree lying on the ground, in cellars, etc. In the afternoon they hide, and go out in search of food in the evening or at night. They feed on plants, partly decaying, partly alive, and can sometimes bring some harm to garden plants (but at the same time they also eat harmful plants) ^[1] .

In case of danger (for example, if you put them in your palm), the wood louse may curl up .

Sex life of wood lice has interesting features. Unfertilized females have on the abdominal side of the fifth thoracic segment a pair of holes leading to the seed receivers facing the oviduct with a blind end. When copied (in April or May), the receivers are filled with semen; after some time they burst at the inner end, and the seed enters the oviducts. After that, the female molts, its structure changes: the paired genital openings of the fifth segment are closed, and instead of them an unpaired slit-like opening forms at the border between the 5th and 6th segments; on the first five pairs of legs are formed at the base of the plate that make up the brood chamber. The seed then penetrates the ovary, and the fertilized eggs pass through the said unpaired hole into the brood chamber, where they undergo development. Part of the seed remains unclaimed and fertilizes the new clutch entering the bag after the generation that has emerged in it leaves it. When the new generation develops and leaves the bag, the female sheds the skin again and appears after molting in its original form ^[1] .

Lifespan: 9-12 months ^[2] .

Infrastructure / Diplocheta Section

• Ligiidae

Infrastructure Holoverticata

• Tylida Section

• Tylidae

• Microcheta section

• Mesoniscidae

• Section Synocheta

• Buddelundiellidae
• Schoebliidae
• Styloniscidae
• Titaniidae
• Trichoniscidae
• Tunanoniscidae

Infrastructure Crinocheta

• Agarnidae
• Alloniscidae
• Armadillidae
• Armadillidiidae
• Balloniscidae
• Bathytropidae
• Berytoniscidae
• Cylylidaidae
• Delatorreidae
• Detonidae
• Eubelidae
• Halophilosciidae
• Olibrinidae
• Oniscidae
• Philosciidae
• Platyarthridae
• Porcellionidae
• Pudeoniscidae
• Rhyscotidae
• Scleropactidae
• Scyphacidae
• Spelaeoniscidae
• Stenoniscidae
• Tendosphaeridae
• Trachelipodidae

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  Porcellio scaber (left) and Oniscus asellus (right)

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  Hemilepistus reaumuri

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  Ligia oceanica

• Knipovich N. M. Mokritsy // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron : in 86 tons (82 tons and 4 extra). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Suborder Mokritsy (Eng.) In the World Register of Marine Species ( World Register of Marine Species ).
• Order Isopod crustaceans (Isopoda) // Animal Life. Encyclopedia in six volumes / Ed. L.A. Zenkevich. - M .: Enlightenment, 1968. - T. 2. - 603 p. - 300 000 copies