picture by Liliana Sanfilippo
| English | German | Name |
| Order | Ordnung | Isopoda |
| Suborder | Unterordnung | Oniscidea |
| Family | Familie | Ligiidae |
| Genus | Gattung | Ligia |
| Species | Art | Ligia italica |
Description
Ligia italica are 2 to 10.8 mm big while females tend to be bigger.
Depending on the colours of their habitat they can be sand-brown to grey.
For example, the individuals living in Mestre have the common sandy colour while individuals living in Ercolano (by the black beaches next to Ätna) have a darker colour.
Habitat
This species lives at the Mediterranean sea and populates shores and other stony areas next to the sea. Usually, they only go away a few meters from the water.
They need salt water and have not yet been successfully been kept and bred.
Reproduction
The reproductive period ranges from mid-February to October and a study suggests that they breed more in warmer periods.
The number of eggs varies between 5 and 43 while bigger females usually carry more eggs and females who reproduce in spring also have a tendency to carry more eggs.
Behaviour
They can jump!
- Reproductive biology of Ligia italica from Ghar EL Melh lagoon (Tunisia), Biologia October 2021, Mermine Laifi & Lamia Medini