A coastal Isopod of the family Sphaeromatidae (Malacostraca, Isopoda), from one of the genera formerly collectively known as "Sphaeroma" - Lekanesphaera rugicauda looks superficially similar.
Lekanesphaera is a genus of Isopod in the family Sphaeromatidae. It was split off from SphaeromabyKarl Wilhelm Verhoeff, 1943.:[1] The type speciesisL. monodi (formerly Sphaeroma monodi Arcangeli, 1934).[2] Other well-studied species are L. glabella (Madera), L. rugicauda (Baltic), and L. hookeri (from Scotland and southeast Sweden to Italian lagoons). Because they inhabit intertidal zones such as estuaries, their adaptation to diurnal variations in factors such as salinity are often studied.[3]
Lekanesphaera rugicauda, also called a "sea slater," is found in estuaries ranging from the Baltic, down to the Netherlands and British Isles, and south to the Bay of Biscay. It is best found in the upper intertidal of brackish waters, such as salt marsh pools, under rocks and wood.[5]
^Verhoeff, K.W. Sphaeromiden-studien und buchnerillo N. G. 83. Isopoden-aufsatz. Z. Morph. u. Okol. Tiere 39, 153–175 (1943). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00684465
^BJM Jacobs - 1987. [BOOK] A taxonomic revision of the European, Mediterranean and NW. African species generally placed in Sphaeroma Bosc, 1802 (Isopoda, Flabellifera …
