Iais is a genus of isopod

Isopoda

Isopods are an order of peracarid crustaceans, including familiar animals such as woodlice and pill bugs. The name Isopoda derives from the Greek roots and...

 crustacean

Crustacean

Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...

s. Iais species are found in association with larger isopods of the family Sphaeromatidae

Sphaeromatidae

Sphaeromatidae is a family of isopods, containing the following genera:*Afrocerceis Müller, 1995*Agostodina Bruce, 1994*Amphoroidea H...

, usually on the ventral surface of the larger animal, between the pereiopods and on the pleopods. They are native to Australasia

Australasia

Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...

 and South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

, although Iais californica and its host Sphaeroma quoyanum have invaded California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, and I. californica was first described from Sausalito, California

Sausalito, California

Sausalito is a San Francisco Bay Area city, in Marin County, California, United States. Sausalito is south-southeast of San Rafael, at an elevation of 13 feet . The population was 7,061 as of the 2010 census. The community is situated near the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, and prior to...

. Nine species are recognised:

• Iais aquilei Coineau, 1977
• Iais californica (H. Richardson, 1904)
• Iais chilensis (Winkler, 1992)
• Iais elongata Sivertsen & Holthuis, 1980
• Iais floridana Kensley & Schotte, 1999
• Iais pubescens (Dana, 1853)
• Iais singaporensis Menzies & Barnard, 1951
• Iais solangae Coineau, 1985