Skip to main content
Log in

Diversity of terrestrial isopod species along a transect through northern Israel

  • Published:
Biodiversity & Conservation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The distribution of isopod species along a 70 km transect through northern Israel is described. The transect started from the Mediterranean seashore through Mt. Carmel and the Gilboa Mts. to the Jordan Valley. The habitats ranged from grassland, macqui to woodland in the Mediterranean region, onto grassland in the semi-arid region. Thirty isopod species were found, of these only one species was common to all the regions, and two species were found in four out of five regions. The largest number of species inhabited the mountainous habitats of Mt. Carmel and the Gilboa Mts: 20 and 14 species, respectively. Twelve species were found in the Coastal Plain; five of these were found exclusively there. Two of the four species found in the Jordan Valley were characteristic of that semi-arid region. Beta-diversity was found to be low in most cases and especially in the comparison between Mediterranean and semi-arid habitats.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Beyer R (1964) Faunistisch-ökologische Untersuchungen an Land-isopoden in Mitteldeutschland. Zool. Jb. Syst. 91: 341–402

    Google Scholar 

  • Brereton J, Le G (1957) The distribution of woodland isopods. Oikos 8: 85–106

    Google Scholar 

  • Chelazzi G and Ferrara F (1978) Researches on the coast of Somalia, the shore and the dune of Sar Uanle. 19. Zonation and activity of terrestrial isopods (Oniscoidea). Monit. Zool. Ital. NS Suppl. XI. 8: 189–219

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrison S, Ross SJ and Lawton JH (1992) Beta diversity on geographic gradients in Britain. J. Anim. Ecol. 61: 151–158

    Google Scholar 

  • Herold W (1930) Beiträge zur Verbreitung und Ökologie der Landisopoden des Ostbaltikums.Z. Morphol. Ökol. Tiere 18: 474–535

    Google Scholar 

  • Hornung E and Warburg MR (1995a) Isopod distribution at different scaling levels. In: Alikhan MA (ed) Terrestrial Isopod Biology. Crustacean Issues, Vol. 9. 83–95. Balkema, Rotterdam

  • Hornung E and Warburg MR (1995b) Seasonal changes in the distribution and abundance of isopod species in different habitats within the Mediterranean region of northern Israel. Acta Oecol. 16(4): 431–445

    Google Scholar 

  • Hornung E and Warburg MR (1996) Intra-habitat distribution of terrestrial isopods. Eur. J. Soil Biol. 32(4): 179–185

    Google Scholar 

  • Hornung E, Vajda Z, Gallé L and Dombos M (1991) Spatial dynamics of epigeic animal communities along an environmental gradient. Proc. 4th ECE/XIII. SIEEC, Gödöllô 168–173

  • Kheirallah AM (1980) Aspects of the distribution and community structure of isopods in theMediterranean coastal desert of Egypt. J. Arid. Environ. 3: 69–74

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller MA (1938) Comparative ecological studies on the terrestrial isopod Crustacea of the San francisco Bay region. Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool. 4: 3113–142

    Google Scholar 

  • Pretzmann G (1974) Isopoden aus Israel (det.Strouhal). Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien 78: 445–452

    Google Scholar 

  • Pretzmann G (1975) Israelische Isopoden. Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien 79: 623–663

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmalfuss H (1988) The terrestrial isopod genus Schizidium in Western Asia (Oniscidea: Armadillidiidae). Stuttgarter Beitr. Naturk. Ser. A. 423: 1–22

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmalfuss H (1989) Armadillidium fallax Brandt 1833: Redescription, synonymy, distribution (Crustacea, Isopoda. Armadillidiidae). Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berl. 65: 201–6

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmalfuss H (1991) The terrestrial isopod genus Chaetophiloscia in Western Asia (Oniscidea: Philosciidae). Stuttgarter Beitr. Naturk. Ser. A (Biol.), 463: 1–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmalfuss H (1992) The terrestrial isopod genus Porcellio in Western Asia (Oniscidea:Porcellionidae). Stuttgarter Beitr. Naturk. Ser. A (Biol.), 475: 1–45

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmalfuss H (1996) The terrestrial isopod genus Armadillo in Western Asia (Oniscidea: Armadillidae), with descriptions of five new species. Stuttgarter Beitr. Naturk. Ser. A (Biol) 544: 1–43

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmalfuss H (1998) The terrestrial isopod fauna of the central Near East: Composition and biogeography. Isr. J. Zool. 44(3–4): 263–271

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmalfuss H and Ferrara F (1982) Observations on the distribution and ecology of terrestrial isopods (Oniscoidea) in South-West Cameroon. Monit. Zool. Ital. N.S. Suppl. XVII no. 10: 243–265

    Google Scholar 

  • Southwood TRE (1968) Ecological methods with particular reference to the study of insect populations. pp. 383 Chapman and Hall, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Strouhal H (1968) Eine Neue, Vorderasiatische Bathytropa-Art (Oniscoidea, Oniscidea, Bathytropinae). Crustaceana 15: 67–78

    Google Scholar 

  • Taiti S and Ferrara F (1989) Biogeography and ecology of terrestrial isopods —om Tuscany. Monit. Zool. Ital. (N.S.) Monogr. 4: 75–101

    Google Scholar 

  • Taiti S and Ferrara F (1996) The terrestrial Isopoda of Corsica (Crustacea, Oniscidea) Bull. Mus. Natl Hist. Nat., Paris 18(3–4): 459–545

    Google Scholar 

  • Verhoeff KW(1931) Vergleichende geographisch-Ökologische Untersuchungen über die Isopoda terrestria Deutschland, den Alpen-landern und anschliessenden Mediterrangebieten. Z.Morphol. Ökol. Tiere 22: 231–268

    Google Scholar 

  • Warburg MR (1978) Diversity of herpetofauna in the Mediterranean region of northern Israel. J. Arid Environ. 1: 253–259

    Google Scholar 

  • Warburg MR, Rankevich D and Chasanmus K (1978) Isopod species diversity and community structure in mesic and xeric habitats of the Mediterranean region. J. Arid Environ. 1: 157–163

    Google Scholar 

  • Warburg MR, Goldenberg S and Ben-Horin A (1980) Scorpion species diversity and distribution within the Mediterranean and arid regions of northern Israel. J. Arid Environ. 3: 205–213

    Google Scholar 

  • Yom-Tov Y and Chernov E (1988) The Zoogeography of Israel. Junk, The Hague, Netherlands

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Warburg, M.R., Hornung, E. Diversity of terrestrial isopod species along a transect through northern Israel. Biodiversity and Conservation 8, 1469–1478 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008905729421

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008905729421

Navigation