About Androniscus dentiger Verhoeff, 1908
Androniscus dentiger is a small woodlouse that reaches only 6 mm (¼ inch) in length. It is characteristically pink or orange, with a yellow stripe running along the midline of its dorsal surface; this stripe splits in two toward the animal’s tail. Relative to its body size, it has large eyes and a granular exoskeleton. In the British Isles, Androniscus dentiger inhabits a wide range of habitats, including coastal areas, gardens, old quarries, and caves. It occurs in locations with a significant amount of available lime, and is reported to prefer Anglican churchyards over Catholic churchyards. This preference is linked to older Protestant churches using ox-blood mortar that contains lime. Towards the southern end of its range, Androniscus dentiger is primarily found in caves, and populations in separate cave systems are genetically isolated because individuals do not migrate between caves. Species that prefer cave habitats but are not restricted to caves are described as troglophilic. In North America, Androniscus dentiger is only known to live in greenhouses.
