Asellus (Asellus)

Water hoglouse Asellus aquaticus, copyright Peter Pfeiffer.

Belongs within: Asellidae.

The subgenus Asellus of the genus freshwater isopod genus Asellus is characterised by a lack of spines on the propodite of the male first legs (Hatch 1947).

Characters (from Hatch 1947): Body usually elongate, depressed. Head usually narrower and shorter than first thoracic segment; eyes usually present; mandible with three-segmented palp. Abdomen usually not longer than broad. Male with inner margin of posterior surface of propodite of first legs not produced in teeth or immovable spines.

<==Asellus Geoffroy 1762 (Asellus) HLM86
    |--A. (A.) amamiensis Matsumoto 1961 HLM86
    |--A. (A.) aquaticus (Linnaeus 1758) HLM86
    |    |--A. a. aquaticus HLM86
    |    |--A. a. carsicus Karaman 1952 HLM86
    |    |--A. a. cavernicolus Racovitza 1925 HLM86
    |    |--A. a. cyclobranchialis Sket 1965 HLM86
    |    |--A. a. fribergensis Schneider 1887 HLM86
    |    `--A. a. longicornis Sket 1965 HLM86
    |--A. (A.) birsteini Levanidov 1976 HLM86
    |--A. (A.) ezoensis Matsumoto 1962 HLM86
    |--A. (A.) hilgendorfi Bovallius 1886 HLM86
    |    |--A. h. hilgendorfi Bovallius 1886 HLM86
    |    `--A. h. ryukyuensis Ueno 1938 HLM86
    |--A. (A.) hyugaensis Matusmoto 1960 HLM86
    |--A. (A.) kumaensis Matsumoto 1960 HLM86
    |--A. (A.) monticola [incl. A. monticola var. fontinalis Birstein 1936] HLM86
    |--A. (A.) musashiensis Matsumoto 1961 HLM86
    |--A. (A.) shikokuensis Matsumoto 1960 HLM86
    |--A. (A.) tamaensis Matsumoto 1961 HLM86
    `--A. (A.) tomalensis H47

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[H47] Hatch, M. H. 1947. The Chelifera and Isopoda of Washington and adjacent regions. University of Washington Publications in Biology 10 (5): 155–274.

[HLM86] Henry, J.-P., J. J. Lewis & G. Magniez. 1986. Isopoda: Asellota: Aselloidea, Gnathostenetroidoidea, Stenetrioidea. In: Botosaneanu, L. (ed.) Stygofauna Mundi: A Faunistic, Distributional, and Ecological Synthesis of the World Fauna inhabiting Subterranean Waters (including the Marine Interstitial) pp. 434–464. E. J. Brill/Dr. W. Backhuys: Leiden.