Nagurus nanus (Budde-Lund, 1908)

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Status:

GB IUCN status: Not applicable (non-native)

ID Difficulty

3

Identification

Nagurus nanus is a small woodlouse (to 5 mm body length) with an oval outline. The body is dark brown with two patches of pale yellow mottling situated either side of a broad dark brown central stripe (rather akin to that seen in our native Trachelipus rathkii). It has five pairs of pleopodal lungs. It is readily identified from male pleopods. 

A brief description of this species, with figures, is given in Gregory (2014).

Steve Gregory
Steve Gregory

Distribution and Habitat

A single specimen of Nagurus nanus was collected from a heated glasshouse in Belfast Botanic Gardens in 1911 (Sutton, 1972).  No additional observations were made until several specimens were collected from Eden Project (Rainforest Biome), Cornwall, in 2004 and 2005 Gregory (2014). These were collected from leaf-litter samples by Tullgren funnel extraction undertaken by the NHM.

Subsequent surveys at the Eden Project have failed to refind this species (Gregory, 2025). 

This species has been widely introduced throughout the tropics where it typically occupies disturbed habitats.

References

Gregory, S.J. (2025) 15 years on: An update to Woodlice and Waterlice in Britain and Ireland, part 2 ~ Non-native species, not yet naturalised. Bulletin of the British Myriapod and Isopod Group, 37: 7-25. 

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=261369 

BRC code

83

idBmigTaxa

Cru_1523