Research in South China Karst - Memorie del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Verona - 2. serie - Monografie Naturalistiche 3-2008 INTRODUCTION Very little is known about terrestrial isopods inhabiting caves in southern China. To date, on- ly seven species have been recorded (Kwon & Taiti, 1993; Schultz, 1995) from caves in Guangxi (Sinoniscus cavernicolus Schultz, 1995) and Yun- nan (Burmoniscus yunnanensis Kwon & Taiti, 1993; Lucasioides cavernicolus Kwon & Taiti, 1993; Porcellionides pruinosus (Brandt, 1833); Sinodillo troglophilus Kwon & Taiti, 1993; S. ferrarai Kwon & Taiti, 1993; and Spherillo raffaelei Kwon & Taiti, 1993). In recent years, several expeditions have been carried out to explore the numerous caves in the karst systems of southern China. The present pa- per deals with seven species of Oniscidea collect- ed in caves of Guizhou and Guangdong provinces by the team of the Museo Civico di Sto- ria Naturale, Verona, from 2000 to 2006, and in caves of Fengshan County in the northwest of Guangxi Province by Arthur Clarke, Hobart, dur- ing the Guangxi China Caves Expedition 2005 led by Ged Campion. LIST OF CAVES INVESTIGATED For each cave, we report the locality, elevation and GPS co-ordinates of the entrance (taken with WGS84 datum), and some characteristics (when available). Guizhou Province Duobing Dong (GZ/Pb/1), Pingba County, Sancha River, ca. 900 m a.s.l.. Tu Shi Dong (Soil Rock Cave) (GZ/Gl/10), Guanling County, Huajiang, 1209 m a.s.l. Small cave (58 m long and 8 m deep) in the middle of a rice plantation near the village. Sha Dong (Sand Cave) (GZ/Gl/4), Guanling County, Huajiang, 1190 m a.s.l., 25°44’12.386”N 105°36’18.969”E. The cave is located in a cone karst near Huajiang village and is about 210 m long. Da Dong (GZ/Gl/1), Guanling County, Hua- jiang, 1148 m a.s.l., 25°42’06.3”N 105°40’46.1”E. San Ge Dong (Three Entrances Cave) (GZ/ Gl/11), Guanling County, Huajiang, 1199 m a.s.l., 25°49’06.4”N 105°35’00.5”. Large cave with two main branches, a fossil one 20 m deep and 200 m long and an active one 70 m deep with stream and lakes. ABSTRACT Seven species of terrestrial isopods from 11 caves in Guizhou, Guangxi and Guangdong provinces (southern Chi- na) are recorded. Three species of Armadillidae (Troglodillo latellai, Dryadillo guizhouensis and D. parviocellatus) and one of Exalloniscus (E. troglophilus) are described as new and illustrated. A further new species of Exalloniscus (E. japonicus) is established for specimens previously identified as E. cortii Arcangeli, 1927 from Japan. Two species, Troglodillo latellai and Dryadillo parviocellatus, show some troglomorphic traits, such as the reduction of pigment and number of ommatidia, and can be considered as eutroglophilic forms. Exalloniscus troglophilus belongs to a genus whose species are mainly associated with ants or termites. All the other species are trogloxenous forms. Key words: Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea, caves, southern China, new species. Cave-dwelling terrestrial isopods from southern China (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea), with descriptions of four new species Stefano Taiti, Gertrud A. Gruber (Istituto per lo Studio degli Ecosistemi, CNR, Florence, Italy)