Novel Ant Associations, New Records, and an Updated Checklist of the Terrestrial Isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) of Puerto Rico
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-16-2025
School
Social Science and Global Studies
Abstract
Terrestrial isopods are a diverse and widespread group of malacostracan crustaceans frequently observed as facultative and obligate associates of ants. For most myrmecophilous isopods, the exact association with ants remains unclear, as records frequently lack behavioral data or habitat descriptions. We report the first records of Trichorhina heterophthalmaLemos de Castro, 1964 and Caraiboscia christiani Leistikow, 2001 from Puerto Rico and the first documented ant associations in both taxa. Isopods were found in nests and surrounding substrates of five co-occurring ant species from four subfamilies (Ponerinae, Ectatomminae, Formicinae, and Myrmicinae) in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. We also present brief observations of T. heterophthalma interactions with Holcoponera striatula Mayr, 1884 workers, and provide an updated checklist of the terrestrial isopod fauna of Puerto Rico. The broad host ranges of myrmecophilous terrestrial isopods highlight the need for better taxonomic resolution and more field observations in the group. Horizontal surveys of ant associates within sympatric ant communities may be useful in countering methodological biases which have guided our understanding of ant associations as a general eco-evolutionary phenomenon.
Publication Title
Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington
Volume
127
Issue
2
First Page
253
Last Page
274
Recommended Citation
Ziemke, C.,
Jones, N.,
Means, J.,
Ivanov, K.
(2025). Novel Ant Associations, New Records, and an Updated Checklist of the Terrestrial Isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) of Puerto Rico. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 127(2), 253-274.
Available at: https://aquila.usm.edu/fac_pubs/22288