Porcellionides pruinosus
Encyclopedia
Porcellionides pruinosus is a cosmopolitan
woodlouse
that is suspected to consist of very closely related species
. Ten subspecies are recognised. The species carries Wolbachia
endosymbionts, which is an alpha-proteobacterium that is known to modify the reproduction of their crustacean
hosts
by inducing cytoplasmic incompatibility
or feminisation
.
Cosmopolitan distribution
In biogeography, a taxon is said to have a cosmopolitan distribution if its range extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. For instance, the killer whale has a cosmopolitan distribution, extending over most of the world's oceans. Other examples include humans, the lichen...
woodlouse
Woodlouse
A woodlouse is a crustacean with a rigid, segmented, long exoskeleton and fourteen jointed limbs...
that is suspected to consist of very closely related species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. Ten subspecies are recognised. The species carries Wolbachia
Wolbachia
Wolbachia is a genus of bacteria which infects arthropod species, including a high proportion of insects , as well as some nematodes. It is one of the world's most common parasitic microbes and is possibly the most common reproductive parasite in the biosphere...
endosymbionts, which is an alpha-proteobacterium that is known to modify the reproduction of their crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
hosts
Host (biology)
In biology, a host is an organism that harbors a parasite, or a mutual or commensal symbiont, typically providing nourishment and shelter. In botany, a host plant is one that supplies food resources and substrate for certain insects or other fauna...
by inducing cytoplasmic incompatibility
Cytoplasmic incompatibility
Cytoplasmic incompatibility is a phenomenon that results in sperm and eggs being unable to form viable offspring. The effect arises from changes in the gamete cells caused by intracellular parasites like Wolbachia, which infect a wide range of insect species...
or feminisation
Feminization (biology)
In biology and medicine, feminization refers to the development in an organism of physical or behavioral characteristics unique to the female of the species. This may represent a normal developmental process, contributing to sexual differentiation....
.