111
The woodlouse (Isopoda: Oniscidea) fauna 
of steppe habitats in the Kostanay region 
of Kazakhstan
Abstract
This paper presents first materials on the fauna and distribution of the terrestrial 
isopods - woodlice (Oniscidea) inhabiting the central and southern parts of 
Kostanay Region (Kazakhstan, Northern and Southern Turgai), located in the 
steppe zone. Most of the specimens of woodlice were collected in the territory of 
the National Nature Reserve “Altyn Dala”, a new protected area (established in 
2012) and in the area of the Naurzum National Nature Reserve (established in 
1931, World Heritage Site of UNESCO), on the Stipa lessingiana dry steppe. The 
list of woodlice includes six species (Crustacea: Isopoda: Oniscidea), belonging 
to five genera and three families in the study area. Four species are recorded 
for the first time in Kazakhstan – Desertoniscus subterraneus Verhoeff, 1930, 
Parcylisticus dentifrons (Budde-Lund 1885), Porcellio scaber Latreille, 1804, and 
Protracheoniscus major (Dollfus 1903). Distribution characteristics are provided 
for all of those species recorded in the study area. For the territory of Kazakhstan, 
according to a literature data, currently 16 species of terrestrial isopods have been 
recorded.
Izvleček
V članku predstavljamo prve izsledke o favni in razširjenosti kopenskih 
enakonožcev – mokric (Oniscidea), ki jih najdemo v osrednjih in južnih predelih 
regije Kostanay (Kazahstan, severni in južni Turgaj) v območju stepe. Večino 
osebkov mokric smo nabrali na območju narodnega naravnega rezervata “Altyn 
Dala”, ki je novo zavarovano območje (od leta 2012) in v območju narodnega 
naravnega rezervata Naurzum (ustanovljen leta 1931, uvrščen tudi na Seznam 
svetovne dediščine UNESCO) na suhi stepi z vrsto Stipa lessingiana. Seznam 
mokric vsebuje šest vrst (Crustacea: Isopoda: Oniscidea), ki pripadajo petim 
rodovom in trem družinam. Štiri vrste so prvič zabeležene v Kazahstanu - 
Desertoniscus subterraneus Verhoeff, 1930, Parcylisticus dentifrons (Budde-Lund 
1885), Porcellio scaber Latreille, 1804 in Protracheoniscus major (Dollfus 1903). 
Za vse vrste, ki smo jih našli, smo podali značilnosti njihove razširjenosti. V 
Kazahstanu je v skladu z literaturo znanih 16 vrst kopenskih enakonožcev.
Keywords: terrestrial isopods, fauna, 
dry steppe, desert steppe, Kostanay 
Oblast, Northern and Southern 
Turgai.
Ključne besede: kopenski 
enakonožci, favna, suha stepa, 
puščavska stepa, Oblast Kostanaj, 
severni in južni Turgaj.
Received: 14. 3. 2017
Revision received: 19. 9. 2017
Accepted: 18. 1. 2018
Co-ordinating Editor:  
Stephen Venn
1 Kostanay State Pedagogical Institute, Science-Research Centre on Ecology and Biology, Kostanay, Taran str., 118, Kazakhstan
2 Federal State-Financed Scientific Institute “AzNIIRKH”, Rostov-on-Don, Beregovaya str., 21B, Russia. E-mail: tm_bragina@mail.ru
3 Palace of Creativity of Children and Youth, Bolshaya Sadovaya Street, 55, Rostov-on-Don, Russia. E-mail: dilalex@mail.ru
Tatyana М. Bragina1,2 & Dilyara D. Khisametdinova3
DOI: 10.1515/hacq-2017-001617/1 • 2018, 111–119
T. M. Bragina & D. D. Khisametdinova
The woodlouse (Isopoda: Oniscidea) fauna of steppe habitats in the Kostanay 
region of Kazakhstan
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17/1 • 2018, 111–119
Introduction
Terrestrial isopods belonging to the Order Isopoda, Sub-
order Oniscidea Latreille, 1817, or woodlice, are usually 
confined to damp habitats, but despite this are wide-
spread in the steppes, semi-deserts and deserts (Borutzky 
1948). Almost all families of terrestrial isopods known 
in the Palaearctic can be found in the zones of steppes 
and deserts. In arid zones, woodlice inhabit artificially 
irrigated areas of the desert, where they can be found 
in large numbers in the soil layer or on the soil surface. 
During the daytime, they can be found beneath leaves, 
boards and debris. Woodlice emerge from their shelters 
in the evening in search of food. In undisturbed biotopes 
exposed to high levels of solar radiation, woodlice hide 
beneath wet objects, such as fresh animal droppings, 
heaps of brushwood or deep in the soil in the tunnels of 
gerbils, ground squirrels and other vertebrates. Woodlice 
obtain sufficient moisture in dry habitats via the con-
sumption of leaves and vegetation. When encountering 
cultural plants, woodlice can damage these, causing 
losses to agriculture (Borutzky 1978a). Woodlice actively 
participate in the processes of restoration of natural vege-
tation in deserts. They primary function is the decompo-
sition of litter, the remnants of grasses and hemi-shrubs, 
which are collected on the surface. Woodlice actively 
mix layers of soil, depositing soil from the lower horizons 
on the surface and by that promote the formation of new 
islands of vegetation in the deserts (Dimo 1955).
In this paper, we summarized literature data and results 
of our study of the fauna and distribution of terrestrial 
isopods of the steppe zone of Kazakhstan. All woodlice 
were collected by Tatyana M. Bragina, and identified by 
Dilyara D. Khisametdinova.
Methods
Study site
This study was conducted during 2013–2014 in the Ko-
stanay Oblast, located in the steppe zone of Kazakhstan. 
The northern part of the Oblast occupies the southeastern 
edge of the West Siberian Plain. Most of the Oblast is 
located on the Turgai Plateau; in the west, it extends to 
the undulating plain of the Trans Ural Plateau, and in the 
southwest, to the foothills of the Kazakh hills (Tikhonov 
et al 1963). In total, the area of the Oblast covers more 
than 196 thousand sq. km (or 19.6 million hectares). The 
length of the region, from north to south, is over 700 km, 
and the breadth, from east to west, is 250–400 km. The 
climate is continental. The temperature increases from 
north to south, and the amount of precipitation de-
creases. The average annual temperature gradient from 
the north to the south of the area ranges from –6.9 °C to 
–1 °C, the July average from +19.3 °C to +25.1 °C, and 
the January average from –18 °C to –8.2 °C. Annual pre-
cipitation ranges from 390 mm in the north to 159 mm 
in the south. Due to the diversity of geomorphological, 
climatic, soil conditions and vegetation in the region, the 
regular changes of the landscapes are well-defined from 
forest-steppe to moderately dry and dry steppes, desert 
steppes, clay and sandy deserts (Bragina 2007).
We investigated the Naurzum National Nature Reserve 
and Altyn Dala National Nature Rezerve areas (Figure 1), 
which lie in the Northern and Southern Turgai physi-
ographic provinces of the West Siberian region of the Ka-
zakhstan steppe zone of Eurasia, in the center and south 
of the Kostanay Oblast. 
In the Naurzum National Nature Reserve, the study 
area was located in the southern part of the Turgai Pla-
teau at 260–290 m above sea level. The average annual 
temperature is 1.33 °C, and annual precipitation is 240–
260 mm (Bragina 2009). We investigated Stipa lessingiana 
steppe. The vegetation is characterized by xerophytic spe-
cies of bunch grass, such as Stipa lessingiana, S. capillata, 
Festuca valesiaca, loose bunch grasses, such as Agropyron 
pectinatum, and rhizome grasses, such as Leymus ramosus 
(Rachkovskaya & Bragina 2012, Bragina 2016). A colony 
of marmots inhabits this steppe.
The area of the Altyn Dala National Nature Reserve (Fig-
ure 2), where woodlice were collected, belongs to the desert 
steppes (or northern deserts) on brown soils (the vegeta-
tion complex includes Artemisia gracilescens, A. pauciflora, 
Nanophyton erinaceum, Poa bulbosa, sagebrush Anabasis 
salsa (Anabasis salsa, A. pauciflora, A. gracilescens). Also it 
includes sites with Anabasis aphylla, Atriplex cana, A. pauci-
flora communities on small patches of solonetz and salines, 
in combination with A. semiarida and Stipa sareptana com-
munities on highly solonetz loamy soils and small clay hills 
with burrows of the yellow ground squirrel (suslik) Spermo-
philus fulvus Licht. (Rachkovskaya & Bragina 2012). 
Near the river Uly-Zhilanshik, there is complex vegeta-
tion (Figure 2) with Festuca valesiaca, Artemisia graciles-
cens, A. pauciflora, Nanophyton erinaceum and Poa bulbosa. 
The aim of the study was to identify the species com-
position of the terrestrial isopods and some information 
about their lifestyle in the region.
Sampling
Specimens of terrestrial isopods were collected by hand, 
and by using 0.5 l plastic pitfall traps with ethylene gly-
col as a preservative fluid. In this study, no quantitative 
accounting was conducted. Pitfall traps without roofs 
T. M. Bragina & D. D. Khisametdinova
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Figure 2: River Uly-Zhilanshik. Kostanay Province. State Nature Reserve “Altyn Dala”. Kazakhstan. 10.05.2013. Photo by Tatyana M. Bragina.
Slika 2: Reka Uly-Zhilanshik. Provinca Kostanaj. Državni naravni rezervat “Altyn Dala”. Kazahstan. 10.05.2013. Foto: Tatyana M. Bragina.
Figure 1: The investigated area with the location of the Naurzum Reserve and the Altyn Dala Reserve. Kostanay Oblast, Kazakhstan.
Slika 1: Preučevano območje z lokacijama rezervatov Naurzum in Altyn Dala. Oblast Kostanaj, Kazahstan.
Naurzum
Altyn Dala
KAZAKHSTAN
T. M. Bragina & D. D. Khisametdinova
The woodlouse (Isopoda: Oniscidea) fauna of steppe habitats in the Kostanay 
region of Kazakhstan
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were used during short-term sampling visits to the ter-
ritory (1–3 days) or for a longer period, mainly in the 
territory of the Altyn Dala Reserve (desert steppes) 
(50° N 64° E) and the Naurzum Reserve (moderately-
dry and dry steppes). As a rule, a transect of ten traps 
was installed at a distance of ten meters apart. Trapping 
was conducted in the years 2013–2014 and the samples 
preserved in 70% ethanol. From May to October 2013, 
1200 trap-days were used in sites representing a total of 
seven biotopes. A total of 397 individuals of woodlice of 
different stages and both sexes were collected and sorted. 
Hand-harvesting was also used for the litter, detritus and 
soil (e.g., soil from rodent burrows) (Ghilyarov 1965, 
Byzova et al. 1987, Anderson & Ingram 1993) to study 
the soil macrofauna of the region (Bragina 2004b). In 
the Naurzum National Nature Reserve (51° N 64° E) 
and surrounding areas, we recorded a total number of 
individuals of woodlice in a sample per 0.25 m2 (Bra-
gina 2004a, 2004b, 2016; Demina & Bragina 2014). 
Species were identified according to the key of woodlice 
( Borutzky 1948, 1978).
Results 
Taxonomic part
Order ONISCIDEA
Group Crinocheta
Family AGNARIDAE
Genus Hemilepistus Budde-Lund, 1879
Hemilepistus ruderalis (Pallas, 1771) 
SYN. – Oniscus ruderalis, Porcellio pallasii
Material examined. 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, Kazakhstan, Ko-
stanay Oblast, Zhangeldy District, National Nature Re-
serve “Altyn Dala”, near the old wintering site Altybai, 
12. V. 2013; 4 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, Kazakhstan, Kostanay Oblast, 
Amangeldy District, National Nature Reserve “Altyn 
Dala”, near Rakhmet old village (now destroyed), bank 
of the river Uly-Zhilanshik, near holes of yellow ground 
squirrel (suslik) Spermophilus fulvus (Lichtenstein, 1823), 
from clay soil, 10. V. 2013; 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, Kazakhstan, 
Kostanay Oblast, Amangeldy District, National Nature 
Reserve “Altyn Dala”, near Djarkuy damp, in holes of yel-
low ground squirrel (suslik) Spermophilus fulvus, clay soil, 
11. V. 2013; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Kazakhstan, Kostanay Oblast, 
Amangeldy District, National Nature Reserve “Altyn 
Dala”, bank of the river Uly-Zhilanshik, pitfall traps, 
25. V. 2013; 2 ♀♀, Kazakhstan, Kostanay Oblast, Aman-
geldy District, National Nature Reserve “Altyn Dala”, 
bank of the river Uly-Zhilanshik, 12. V. 2013; 18 ♂♂, 
15 ♀♀, Kazakhstan, Kostanay Oblast, Amangeldy Dis-
trict, National Nature Reserve “Altyn Dala”, bank of 
the river Uly-Zhilanshik, saline alkali soil, pitfall traps, 
13.–25. V. 2013; 38 ♂♂, 31 ♀♀ (including 4 ♀♀ with 
marsupia), Kazakhstan, Kostanay Oblast, Amangeldy 
District, National Nature Reserve “Altyn Dala”, bank of 
the river Uly-Zhilanshik, nearby vill. Rakhmet, gramine-
ous vegetation (meadow), 04. VII. 2013; 14 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀, 
Kazakhstan, Kostanay Oblast, Amangeldy District, Na-
tional Nature Reserve “Altyn Dala”, old village Ayurkum, 
meadow (with mushrooms Agaricus sp.), 05. VII. 2013; 
37 ♂♂, 18 ♀♀ (including 15 ♀♀ with marsupia), Ka-
zakhstan, Kostanay Oblast, Amangeldy District, Nation-
al Nature Reserve “Altyn Dala”, bank of the river Uly-
Zhilanshik, plant association with Anabasis salsa, pitfall 
traps, 04. VII. 2013; 8 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀ (including 1 ♀ with 
marsupium), Kazakhstan, Kostanay Oblast, Amangeldy 
District, National Nature Reserve “Altyn Dala”, near Ra-
chmet old village, clay small hill near the river Uly-Zhy-
lanshik, plastic pitfall, 04. VII. 2013; 2 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, Ka-
zakhstan, Kostanay Oblast, Amangeldy District, National 
Nature Reserve “Altyn Dala”, old village Ayurkum, near 
small pond, 04. VII. 2013; 4 ♂♂, Kazakhstan, Kostanay 
Oblast, Amangeldy District, National Nature Reserve 
“Altyn Dala”, near Rachmet old village, bank of the river 
Uly-Zhilanshik, 04. VII. 2013. 
In spring 2013, specimens of this species were found 
from all the surveyed areas of the National Natural Re-
serve “Altyn Dala”. We examined 54 samples of this spe-
cies. The sex ratio was 1:1. Females with marsupia were 
absent during this period. This suggests that the period 
of reproduction in this species in the area had not yet be-
gun. During summer, 185 specimens of this species were 
recorded. In early July, there were 20 (24%) females with 
marsupia. The abundance of males was greater than that 
of females during this period. Juveniles were not found 
in July.
Bibliography: Pallas 1771, Brandt 1833, Budde-Lund 
1885, Borutzky 1945, 1978b.
Hemilepistus ruderalis (Pallas, 1771) was identified us-
ing identification keys from Borutzky (1945, 1978b) and 
Khisametdinova (2014) (Figure 3).
Distribution: according to Schmalfuss (2003a), the 
distribution of this species includes the Crimea, the Cau-
casus and Turkmenistan. Borutzky (1948) pointed out 
that representatives of the genus are known from the 
deserts of the Volga region, the Caucasus, Central Asia, 
Afghanistan, Iran, Asia Minor, and North Africa, whereas 
in Western Europe this genus is absent due to the lack of 
suitable ecological conditions. It has been reported from 
West Kazakhstan (Khisametdinova 2011). This record 
was the first for this species for Central Kazakhstan and 
the National Natural Reserve “Altyn Dala” (Bragina & 
Khisametdinova 2014).
T. M. Bragina & D. D. Khisametdinova
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Genus Protracheoniscus Verhoeff, 1917
Protracheoniscus almaatinus Borutzky, 1975
Material examined. 1 ♂, Kazakhstan, Kostanay Oblast, 
Amangeldy District, National Nature Reserve “Altyn 
Dala”, nearby Rakhmet old village (now destroyed), bank 
of the river Uly-Zhilanshik, near holes of yellow ground 
squirrel (suslik) Spermophilus fulvus (Lichtenstein, 1823), 
from the clay soil, 10. V. 2013; 2 ♂♂, Kazakhstan, Ko-
stanay Oblast, Amangeldy District, National Nature 
Reserve “Altyn Dala”, bank of the river Uly-Zhilanshik, 
saline alkali soil, pitfall traps, 13.–25. V. 2013; 2 ♀♀, 
Kazakhstan, Kostanay Oblast, Amangeldy District, Na-
tional Nature Reserve “Altyn Dala”, bank of the river 
Uly-Zhilanshik, nearby village Rakhmet, graminoid veg-
etation (meadow), 04. VII. 2013; 2 ♂♂, Kazakhstan, 
Kostanay Oblast, Amangeldy District, National Nature 
Reserve “Altyn Dala”, old village Ayurkum, meadow 
(with mushrooms Agaricus sp.), 05. VII. 2013; 2 ♂♂, 
3 ♀♀ (including 2 ♀♀ with marsupia), Kazakhstan, 
Kostanay Oblast, Amangeldy District, National Nature 
Reserve “Altyn Dala”, old village Ayurkum, nearby small 
pond, 04. VII. 2013; 3 ♂♂, 1 ♀ (with marsupium), Ka-
zakhstan, Kostanay Oblast, Amangeldy District, National 
Nature Reserve “Altyn Dala”, Akkum, plant association 
with Stipa sp., 05. VII. 2013. 
This species is probably widely distributed in the in-
vestigated sites, but it was few in number and only 25 
records have been made during the spring and summer. 
The species was also found in an apartment building. In 
spring 2013, only three males of P. almaatinus were re-
corded. During the summer, nine females, three of them 
with marsupia, were collected.
Protracheoniscus almaatinus Borutzky, 1975 was identi-
fied on the basis of descriptions and drawings of this spe-
cies from Borutzky (1975).
Distribution: Kazakhstan: Almaty region (Schmal-
fuss 2003a). This is the first time this species has been 
recorded in Central Kazakhstan and the National Nature 
Reserve “Altyn Dala”.
Genus Protracheoniscus Verhoeff, 1917
Protracheoniscus major (Dollfus, 1903) 
SYN. – Metoponorthus major
Material examined. 6 ♀♀ (with marsupia), Kazakh-
stan, Kostanay Oblast, Amangeldy District, National 
Nature Reserve “Altyn Dala”, nearby Rakhmet old vil-
lage (now destroyed), bank of the river Uly-Zhilanshik, 
near holes of yellow ground squirrel (suslik) Spermophilus 
fulvus (Lichtenstein, 1823), from clay soil, 10. V. 2013; 
3 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀ (with marsupia), Kazakhstan, Kostanay 
Oblast, Amangeldy District, National Nature Reserve 
“Altyn Dala”, bank of the river Uly-Zhilanshik, nearby 
village Rakhmet, 10. V. 2013; 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀ (with marsu-
pia), Kazakhstan, Kostanay Oblast, Amangeldy District, 
National Nature Reserve “Altyn Dala”, bank of the river 
Uly-Zhilanshik, nearby village Rakhmet, pitfall traps, 
25. V. 2013; 11 ♂♂, 29 ♀♀ (including 24 ♀♀ with 
marsupia), Kazakhstan, Kostanay Oblast, Amangeldy 
District, National Nature Reserve “Altyn Dala”, bank of 
the river Uly-Zhilanshik, saline alkali soil, pitfall traps, 
Figure 3: Hemilepistus ruderalis (Pallas 1771): 1 – ♂ 2 – ♀; a,b – 
first and second pleopods (on the ventral side); 3 – VII pereopod ♂: 
a – basipodite, b – ischiopodite, c – meropodite, d – carpopodite, 
e – propodite; 4 – head: a – antennae II, b – antennae I, c – eye; 
5 – antennae II: a-d – segments of scape; e – segments of flagellum 
(from Khisametdinova 2014).
Slika 3: Hemilepistus ruderalis (Pallas 1771): 1 – ♂ 2 – ♀; a, b – prva 
dva para zadkovih nožic (pogled s trebušne strani); 3 – hodilka VII 
♂: a – bazipodit, b – ihiopodit, c – meropodit, d – karpopodit, e – 
propodit; 4 – glava: a – tipalka II, b – tipalka I, c – oko; 5 – tipalka II: 
a-d – členi osnove; e – členi biča (po Khisametdinova 2014).
T. M. Bragina & D. D. Khisametdinova
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13.–25. V. 2013; 5 ♂♂, 13 ♀♀ (including 12 ♀♀ with 
marsupia), Kazakhstan, Kostanay Oblast, Amangeldy 
District, National Nature Reserve “Altyn Dala”, bank 
of the river Uly-Zhilanshik, nearby village Rakhmet, 
gramineous vegetation (meadow), 04. VII. 2013; 8 ♂♂, 
6 ♀♀ (including 6♀♀ with marsupia), 8 juv., Kazakh-
stan, Kostanay Oblast, Amangeldy District, National Na-
ture Reserve “Altyn Dala”, bank of the river Uly-Zhilan-
shik, plant association with Anabasis salsa, pitfall traps, 
04. VII. 2013; 3 ♂♂, 1 ♀ (with marsupia), Kazakhstan, 
Kostanay Oblast, Amangeldy District, National Nature 
Reserve “Altyn Dala”, near Rachmet old village, clay small 
hill near the river Uly-Zhylanshik, pitfall, 04. 07. 2013; 
4 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀ (with marsupia), 2 juv., Kazakhstan, Kosta-
nay Oblast, Amangeldy District, National Nature Reserve 
“Altyn Dala”, bank of the river Uly-Zhilanshik, nearby 
village Rakhmet, 1 ♀ (with marsupium), Kazakhstan, 
Kostanay Oblast, Amangeldy District, National Nature 
Reserve “Altyn Dala”, nearby village Rakhmet, steppe 
pasture, 04. VII. 2013.
The woodlouse Protracheoniscus major was collected in 
different habitats of the shore of the river Uly-Zhilanshik. 
In spring 2013, 57 specimens of this species were collect-
ed, of which 37 were females with marsupia. During this 
period, males were three times less than females. In the 
summer, 99 specimens of P. major were found, of which 
46% were females with marsupia, and the proportion of 
juveniles was 10%. Thus, it can be noted that, compared 
with H. ruderalis, in this species the reproduction period 
occurs at an earlier date and for a more extended period. 
Generally during active period males were four times less 
than females.
This species was identified using Gruner (1966a, b) 
with drawings and descriptions of Protracheoniscus major. 
Bibliography: Dollfus in Dyduch 1903, Strouhal 1929 
(sub P. asiaticus), Semenkevitsh 1931, Gruner 1966a, 
1966b, Dominiak 1970, Schmölzer 1974, Jędryczkowski 
1979, Ilosvay 1985, Flasarová 1986, 1988, 1991, 1995, 
1999, Kwon 1993.
Distribution: from southeastern Germany to Central 
Asia (“Turkestan” (Schmalfuss 2003), probably Turkestan 
– South Kazakhstan region (remark by authors), Turk-
menistan (Schmalfuss 2003a), and the south of the Eu-
ropean part of Russia (Knipovich 1890–1907, Khisamet-
dinova 2011). The authors report this species for the first 
time in Central Kazakhstan and in the National Nature 
Reserve “Altyn Dala”.
Genus Desertoniscus Verhoeff, 1930
Desertoniscus subterraneus Verhoeff, 1930
Material examined. 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Kazakhstan, Kosta-
nay Oblast, Amangeldy District, National Nature Re-
serve “Altyn Dala”, nearby Rakhmet old village (now 
destroyed), bank of the river Uly-Zhilanshik, near holes 
of yellow ground squirrel (suslik) Spermophilus fulvus 
(Lichtenstein, 1823), in clay soil, 10. V. 2013; 4 ♀♀, 
Kazakhstan, Kostanay Oblast, Amangeldy District, Na-
tional Nature Reserve “Altyn Dala”, bank of the river Uly-
Zhilanshik, plant association with Anabasis salsa, pitfall 
traps, 04. VII. 2013. Only six specimens of Desertoniscus 
subterraneus were collected for the entire period of investi-
gation in the reserve “Altyn Dala” during 2013. 
Bibliography: Verhoeff 1930, Borutzky 1945, 1959, 
1978.
Desertoniscus subterraneus was identified on the basis of 
descriptions, drawings and the identification key for De-
sertoniscus spp. from Borutzky (1978).
Distribution: According to Borutzky (1959, 1978), 
this species was recorded in Uzbekistan, Fergana region, 
near Urgench; in Tajikistan, Fergana Valley and Dushan-
be region; in Turkmenistan, near the town Tagtabazar; in 
Kyrgyzstan, Teskey Ala-Too and Issyk-Kul Region. This 
species of woodlouse inhabits open sites. To avoid sun-
light, they burrow deep into the soil or hide under moist 
shelter, such as fresh dung, heaps of brushwood and other 
debris (Borutzky 1948). 
Family CYLISTICIDAE
Genus Parcylisticus Verhoeff, 1943
Parcylisticus dentifrons (Budde-Lund, 1885)
Material examined. 1 ♂, Kazakhstan, Kostanay Oblast, 
Auliekol District, Naurzum National Nature Reserve, 
Tersek, Stipa lessingiana steppe, from holes of marmot 
(Marmota bobak (Statius Muller, 1776), 17. V. 2014. 
Bibliography: Budde-Lund (1885); Borutzky (1961, 
1972, 1977); Schmalfuss (1989); Schmalfuss (2003); 
Jeppesen (2000).
Parcylisticus dentifrons was identified on the basis of de-
scriptions and drawings of this species from Schmalfuss 
(1989).
Distribution: According to Schmalfuss (1989, 2003b), 
this species was recorded in the Stavropolsky kray, and the 
republics of Kabardino-Balkar, Ingushetia, Chechenia, 
Dagestan and North Ossetia-Alania (the Northern Cau-
casus, Russia and Azerbaijan). Here it is recorded for the 
first time in Kazakhstan, in the central part of Kostanay 
Oblast and in the Naurzum Reserve.
Family PORCELLIONIDAE 
Genus Porcellio Latreille, 1804
Porcellio scaber Latreille, 1804
Material examined. 1 ♂, Kazakhstan, Kostanay 
Oblast, Naurzum District, village Karamendy, in dwell-
ing house, 20. IV. 2014.
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17/1 • 2018, 111–119
Distribution: Europe, except the southeastern part, 
introduced worldwide (Schmalfuss, 2003a), known from 
Rostov Region (SW-Russia) (Khisametdinova 2007, 
2011). First record for Kazakhstan.
In addition, we can say that the total abundance of 
woodlice in the Naurzum National Nature Reserve was 
not more than two individuals per 0.25 m2 (Bragina 
2004a, 2004b, 2016; Demina & Bragina 2014).
Discussion
An inventory of the woodlouse fauna of the former USSR 
yielded 190 species (Kuznetsova, Gongalsky 2012), but 
only 12 species were recorded from the territory of Ka-
zakhstan. One species, Cylisticoides angulatus Schmalfuss, 
2003, presented in the work of Kuznetsova, Gongalsky 
(2012) for the Astana area, is probably erroneous. This 
species was found to the west of the city of Astara in Azer-
baijan (Schmalfuss 1989, 2003b), in the forest, and not 
in Astana (steppe zone). In addition, Schmalfuss (2003b) 
indicates a probable record of this species near Sochi (au-
thors comment: most likely it was introduced there), but 
the specimen was female, so there is no precise confir-
mation. Hemilepistus fedtschenkoi (Uljanin 1875) was re-
corded in Semipalatinsk (East Kazakhstan, steppe zone) 
(Kuznetsova & Gongalsky 2012). Three species, H. nodo-
sus Budde-Lund, 1885; H. pavlovskii Borutzky, 1954; H. 
rhinoceros Borutzky, 1958, were given without location 
details (Kuznetsova, Gongalsky 2012). Other species were 
recorded from outside the steppe zone in Kazakhstan.
On the surrounding steppe and forest-steppe areas, few 
species of woodlice were recorded (Khisametdinova et 
al. 2016): Porcellio laevis Latreille, 1804 (Porcellionidae) 
recorded on an unspecified date between 1897 to 1917 
by an unknown collector in the Barnaul Uyezd (forest-
steppe and steppe zone), and four species were recorded 
in the south of Western Siberia (forest-steppe), though 
all four species Porcellio laevis Latreille, 1804, Tracheli-
pus rathkii (Brandt, 1833), Cylisticus convexus (De Geer, 
1778) and Trichoniscus pygmaeus Sars, 1898, are associ-
ated with synanthropic habitats. 
With literature and our data on the territory of Kazakh-
stan, 16 species of woodlice have been recorded currently 
(Table 1).
1 Desertoniscus subterraneus Verhoeff, 1930 Kg; Tu: (Kizil-arvat); Td: Samgar massif ; Kz: South Turgai  
(Central Kazakhstan, Kostanay region) = new for Kz!
2 D. zhelochovtzevi Borutzky, 1945 Kz: Akkul
3 Hemilepistus crenulatus (Pallas, 1771) Kz: Ustyrt, Betpak-Dala; Iq; In; Td: Samgar massif; Tu: Central Karakum, Kyzyl-
Arvat; Uz: Zakaspiysk, Fergana regions; Kg
4 H. fedtschenkoi (Uljanin, 1875) Kz: Semipalatinsk; Tu: Krasnovodsk; Uz: Bukhara, Samarkand, Syrdaryinsk, 
Zakaspyisk regions
5 H. klugii (Brandt, 1833) Kz: Mangyshlak
6 H. nodosus Budde-Lund, 1885 Tu; Kz
7 H. pavlovskii Borutzky, 1954 Kz
8 H. rhinoceros Borutzky, 1958 Kz
9 H. ruderalis (Pallas, 1771) Kz: Djanybek (West Kazakhstan); South Turgai (Central Kazakhstan,  
Kostanat region)
10 Ligidium margaritae Borutzky, 1955 Kz: Alma-Ata region
11 Parcylisticus dentifrons (Budde-Lund, 1885) Kz: Central Kazakhstan: Naurzum Reserve, Kostanay region = new for Kz!
12 Porcellio scaber Latreille, 1804 Kz: Central Kazakhstan: village near Naurzum Reserve, Kostanay region =  
new for Kz!
13 Protracheoniscus almaatinus Borutzky, 1975 Kz: Alma-Ata; South Turgai (Central Kazakhstan, Kostanay region)
14 P. major (Dollfus, 1903) Ru: Rostov region; Ua: Kiev; Kz: South Turgai (Central Kazakhstan,  
Kostanay region) = new for Kz!
15 P. orientalis (Uljanin, 1875) Az: Baku, Mardakert; Bl: Berezinsky reserve; Kz: Mangyshlak; Tu: Bugdaily;  
Ru: Moscow, Orenburg, Primorie regions; Ua: Kremenetz,
Odessa regions, Uz: Nukus; Zakaspyisk region
16 P. tzvetkovi Borutzky, 1975 Kz: Alma-Ata region, Uzun-Agach; Ru: Moscow region?
Table 1: List of woodlouse species from the territory of Kazakhstan (resource: Kuznetsova & Gongalsky (2012), Borutzky (1945, 
1954, 1955, 1958, 1961, 1975, 1978)) with the inclusion of new records (four species) from this study. Abbreviations:  
Az – Azerbaijan, Bl – Belarus, Iq – Iraq, In – Iran, Kz – Kazakhstan, Kg – Kyrgyzstan, Ru – Russia, Td – Tajikistan, Tu – Turkme-
nistan, Ua – Ukraine, Uz – Uzbekistan.
Tabela 1: Seznam mokric z območja Kazahstana (viri: Kuznetsova & Gongalsky (2012), Borutzky (1945, 1954, 1955, 1958, 1961, 
1975, 1978)) z vključenimi novimi podatki (štiri vrste) iz te raziskave. Okrajšave: Az – Azerbajdžan, Bl – Belorusija, Iq – Irak,  
In – Iran, Kz – Kazakstan, Kg – Kirgizistan, Ru – Rusija, Td – Tadžikistan, Tu – Turkmenistan, Ua – Ukrajina, Uz – Uzbekistan.
T. M. Bragina & D. D. Khisametdinova
The woodlouse (Isopoda: Oniscidea) fauna of steppe habitats in the Kostanay 
region of Kazakhstan
118
17/1 • 2018, 111–119
In the south of the investigated area, we recorded four 
species (Hemilepistus ruderalis, Protracheoniscus major, P. 
almaatinus, Desertoniscus subterraneus), belonging to the 
family Agnaridae from the group Crinocheta (Kostanay 
Oblast, Southern Turgai, National Nature Reserve “Al-
tyn Dala”) (Bragina & Khisametdinova 2014). All these 
species are typical inhabitants of deserts. In addition, the 
genus Desertoniscus is endemic to the Eurasian desert zone 
(Borutsky 1948). The aurthors recorded D. subterraneus 
Verhoeff, 1930 and P. major (Dollfus, 1903) for the first 
time from Kazakhstan. Also the species Parcylisticus den-
tifrons and the synanthropic form of Porcellio scaber (Ko-
stanay Oblast, Northern Turgai) were recorded for the 
first time from Kazakhstan. Parcylisticus dentifrons, repre-
sented by a single record in this study. Specimens of this 
genus are distributed in the southeastern Mediterranean, 
and they are numerous in the North Caucasus, Trans 
Caucasia region, Dagestan and Azerbaijan, and also oc-
cur in records from Kalmykia. Porcellio scaber is a highly 
typical synanthropic species and it occurs everywhere out-
side of Northern and Central Europe. In the future, we 
will give attention in our research to the anthropogenic 
fauna of the region of the steppe zone. In particular, the 
fauna of the Rostov Region (eastern European steppes) of 
twenty one species of terrestrial isopods, which includes 
twenty species that were recorded in the anthropogenic 
landscape, while eight species were only recorded in the 
steppe landscape (Khisametdinova 2011).
Conclusion
The woodlouse fauna of many parts of the steppe zone is 
still largely undiscovered.  As the result of our investiga-
tion, six species of woodlouse (Crustacea: Isopoda: Onis-
cidea), belonging to five genera and three families, were 
recorded from steppe in Kazakhstan (central and southern 
part of Kostanay Region). On the territory of Kazakhstan, 
16 species of woodlouse have been recorded. Further stud-
ies are needed in other regions of the Asian steppes to give 
a representative overview of the distribution of terrestrial 
isopods, as well as synanthropic species of the region.
Acknowledgments
We are very grateful to all the supporters who assisted in 
the field observations, especially Dr. Yevgeny Bragin. We 
also thank everybody who contributed to this work by 
discussing and providing comments, especially Dr. Or-
solya Valkó and Dr. Stephen Venn, for editorial support, 
linguistic editing and handling. We thank the Eurasian 
Dry Grassland Group (EDGG) for the possibility to pub-
lish this paper.
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