What major class do woodlice belong to, despite being called "roly-poly"?
Answer
Malacostraca
Woodlice are fundamentally terrestrial crustaceans belonging to the Class Malacostraca. This classification places them evolutionarily much closer to animals such as crabs and shrimps than to insects or millipedes, even though they are commonly misidentified due to their terrestrial adaptation and appearance. While they share some superficial traits with insects, their crustacean ancestry dictates many of their core physical characteristics and physiological limitations, such as their reliance on moisture and their specialized respiratory system.
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What major class do woodlice belong to, despite being called "roly-poly"?How many distinct segments compose the woodlouse thorax, also known as the pereon?What specialized appendages on the woodlouse abdomen house the trachea-like lungs for terrestrial respiration?What characterizes the woodlouse growth process known as molting compared to most arthropods?What is the primary theorized function of the shorter pair of antennae on the woodlouse head?What specific defensive action allows species like pillbugs (Armadillidiidae) to defend themselves?What copper-based pigment is utilized by woodlice for oxygen transport in their blood?What is the term for offspring that hatch with only six pairs of legs before their first molt?What texture characterizes the exoskeleton of the Common Rough Woodlouse (*Porcellio scaber*)?What technical term describes the region formed when the first thoracic segment fuses tightly to the head structure?