Research on the biology of terrestrial isopods: A historical survey

Abstract

Even if we have written testimony that the ancient Greek intellectuals were already aware of the existence of woodlice, the history of scientific research on this group of animals starts 2000 years later. Beginning with Linnaeus, this survey portrays the more important researchers in this field, trying to outline the development from descriptive taxonomy into a broad field of biological science. Today isopodological research includes studies on ecology, behavior, nutritional biology, anatomy, functional morphology, neurology, physiology, biogeography, systematics, and phylogenetic analyses based on morphological and molecular data.