Small insect - Small insect

Japanese: コツブムシ(小粒虫) - コツブムシ

They live on the undersides of rocks in the intertidal zone of rocks or inside the shells of barnacles, where they crawl with their ventral surface pressed against the rock surface. When caught, they roll their body ventrally into a small, spherical shape, hence the name. They are small crustaceans with an elliptical body, flattened dorsally and ventrally, and about 5 to 15 mm long. This is the Japanese name given to several species of Sphaeromidae, an isopod family, that live on rocks, and is also the general name for all members of this family. All members of the Sphaeromidae family form a tail fan with a flat apical limb and abdominal telson (the posterior abdominal segment and telson fused together), and can roll their body ventrally like terrestrial pillbugs.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

磯の潮間帯の石の下面やフジツボのからの殻の中などにすみ，腹面を石の表面に密着させてはう。とらえると体を小球形状に腹側に丸めるのでこの名がある。体は楕円形，背腹に扁平，長さ5～15mm前後の小型の甲殻類。等脚目コツブムシ科Sphaeromidaeに属するもののうち磯にすむ数種に与えられた和名およびこの科に属するものの総称，コツブムシ科のものは，すべて扁平な尾肢と腹尾節(後方の腹節と尾節が融合したもの)とで尾扇を形成し，陸生のダンゴムシの類のように体を腹側に丸めることができる。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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