Porcellio assamensis Chopra, 1924

Kharkongor, Ilona Jacinta, Saikia, Uttam, Khynriam, Dimos & Saikia, Bhaskar, 2023, Current status of faunal diversity of Siju Cave, South Garo Hills, Meghalaya, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 123 (3), pp. 283-303 : 292

19. Porcellio assamensis Chopra, 1924

1924. Porcellio assamensis Chopra, Rec. Ind. Mus., XXVI , pp. 51-53, Figs.1 & 2 .

Material examined: 8 ex. Siju Cave (~ 100m from the Cave entrance), Siju village, South Garo Hills District , Meghalaya, 25 o 21.061’N, 90 o 41.006’E, 119m, 12. xii.2018, coll. I. J. Kharkongor & party, Reg. No. IV /CRU/ERS-610 .

Remarks: Chopra (1924) described the species from specimens collected from just 400ft inside Siju Cave and commented that they do not extend far into the Cave. Resurvey of the cave reiterates this statement as specimens of the species were encountered within 100m from the entrance with none seen in deeper parts of the Cave. Since its description the species has been reported from different parts of India ( Ramakrishna, 1995), making it the most widespread isopod in India.

Figures

Figure 1. Map of Siju Cave showing the explored parts. (Courtesy: Meghalaya Adventurers’ Association, Shillong).

Figure 2. The cave entrance of Siju.