Gabunillo sp. Eden A
Status:
GB IUCN status: Not applicable (non-native)
ID Difficulty
Identification
Gabunillo sp. is a tiny ball-rolling species (about 2mm in length), entirely lacking in pigment, except for a single reddish ommatidum. The entire body is covered in blunt scale-spines, and (atypically for an Armadillid) it has a triangular telson.
A brief description of this species, with figures, is given in Gregory (2014).
Distribution
So far Gabunillo sp. is only known from Eden Project (Rainforest Biome), Cornwall, where it was repeatedly found between 2003 and 2010. It was still present in 2020.
Habitat
Small numbers of specimens were collected each year between 2003 and 2007 by Tullgren funnel extraction of leaf-litter. In 2009 and 2010 many specimens by intensive hand searching and sieving of deep accumulations of leaf litter and peaty soil.
This appears to be a species new to science. The two described species of Gabunillo are known from opposite sides of the tropical Atlantic Ocean.
This account is taken from Gregory (2014).
References
Gregory, S. (2014) Woodlice (Isopoda: Oniscidea) from Eden Project, Cornwall, with descriptions of species new to Britain, and poorly known British species. Bulletin of the British Myriapod & Isopod Group 27: 3-26.
Links
World List of Marine, Freshwater and Terrestrial Isopod Crustaceans: https://www.marinespecies.org/isopoda/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=248767
BRC code
80