A W O O D L O U S E NEW TO EAST ANGLIA
A . G . IRWIN
O n 14 August 1981. I was collecting invertebrates on the shore at Kessingland (TM 5387) in the Company of J. G. Goldsmith and H. Mendel. Under one sea purslane plant (Honkenyapeploicles (L.) Ehrh.) on top of the pebble bank we found a number of woodlice on and in the damp shingle. The common species Armadillidium vulgare (Latreille), PlĂźloscia muscorum (Scopoli) and Trichoniscuspusillus (Brandt) were accompanied by some tiny white individuals. One of these was Haplophthalmus mengei (Zaddach), a species which is probably quite common in East Anglia, although there are few published records of its occurrence in Suffolk. Of more interest were one male and two female Trichoniscoides saeroeensis Lohmander. which is only known from a few coastal sites around Britain. There are no previous records of this species from the east coast of England. Whether T. saeroeensis is genuinely rare in East Anglia will only be decided after some systematic searching. In Welsh and Scottish localities it has been found fairly frequently by intensive collecting on suitable habitats. Trichoniscoides species are difficult to identify and the most reliable characters are those afforded by the male genitalia, figures of which are given in the key by Sutton et al. (1972). I am grateful to P. T. Harding of the Biological Records Centre, Monks W o o d , for information concerning distribution of the species. Reference Sutton. S., Harding, P. and Burn, D. (1972) Key to British Woodlice: Ginn, London. D r . A. G . Irwin, Castle Museum, Norwich N R 1 3JU
Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 18 part 4.