Order Isopoda, suborder Oniscidea

At present 42 species of terrestrial isopods are known from the Arabian Peninsula. From the United Arab Emirates only four species of Oniscidea were previously recorded (Taiti & Ferrara, 1991): Littorophiloscia strouhali Taiti & Ferrara, 1991, Littorophiloscia spec. (= L. tropicalis Taiti & Ferrara, 1986, or L. culebrae (Moore, 1901)), Periscyphis vittatus Omer-Cooper, 1926, and Somalodillo paeninsulae Ferrara & Taiti, 1986. Of recent years Mr. Antonius van Harten, coordinator of the UAE Insect Project, sent us a large collection of terrestrial isopods from the UAE which increased considerably the number of species known from that part of the Arabian Peninsula. In this paper 17 species are recorded, four of which in the families Agnaridae and Eubelidae are described as new.