There are around 10,000 species of isopods, both marine and terrestrial. These are diversely distributed worldwide, with species inhabiting shallow inshore to deeper shelf and ocean basin waters and from coasts to deserts.
Those species that live in the oceans are able to do so by using their pleopods to ‘breathe’ by gas exchange. Those that live on land have developed their pleopods to include air sacs called pseudotrachea that function as gas exchange organs that don’t need to be fully submerged in water.
