Agriolimacidae
Encyclopedia
Agriolimacidae is a family of small and medium sized land slug
s, or shell-less snails, terrestrial
pulmonate gastropod mollusks.
, this include: Nearctic
, western Palearctic
and eastern Palearctic.
Agriolimacidae is the largest slug family, some are introduced all over the world, synanthropes are often severe pests.
is usually large, occupying approximately 1/3 of the entire body length, situated in the anterior part of the body. The pneumostome
is clearly postmedial. The surface of the mantle in living slugs is covered in concentric, mobile wrinkles. In addition sometimes there is a shallow, poorly defined groove which runs above the pneumostome on the right side, not passing to the left.
The penis is short, usually bag-shaped, often with external appendages, inside with different stimulatory organs. No tubular membrane encircles the penis and vas deferens
. The penis retractor muscle is situated beside the right tentacle.
In this family, the number of haploid chromosome
s lies between 26 and 30 (according to the values in this table).
:
subfamily Agriolimacinae
subfamily Mesolimacinae
subfamily ?
showing the phylogenic relationships of this family to other families within the limacoid clade
:
Slug
Slug is a common name that is normally applied to any gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell, has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell...
s, or shell-less snails, terrestrial
Terrestrial animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...
pulmonate gastropod mollusks.
Distribution
Distribution of Limacidae is HolarcticHolarctic
The Holarctic ecozone refers to the habitats found throughout the northern continents of the world as a whole. This region is divided into the Palearctic, consisting of Northern Africa and all of Eurasia, with the exception of Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, and the Nearctic,...
, this include: Nearctic
Nearctic
The Nearctic is one of the eight terrestrial ecozones dividing the Earth's land surface.The Nearctic ecozone covers most of North America, including Greenland and the highlands of Mexico...
, western Palearctic
Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is one of the eight ecozones dividing the Earth's surface.Physically, the Palearctic is the largest ecozone...
and eastern Palearctic.
Agriolimacidae is the largest slug family, some are introduced all over the world, synanthropes are often severe pests.
Anatomy
Most slugs in the family Agriolimacidae are rather small; only a few (in the genera Mesolimax and Krynickillus) are larger. Most are not more than 50 mm long. The mantleMantle (mollusc)
The mantle is a significant part of the anatomy of molluscs: it is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass and usually protrudes in the form of flaps well beyond the visceral mass itself.In many, but by no means all, species of molluscs, the epidermis of the mantle secretes...
is usually large, occupying approximately 1/3 of the entire body length, situated in the anterior part of the body. The pneumostome
Pneumostome
The pneumostome is a feature of the external body anatomy of an air-breathing land slug or land snail. It is a part of the respiratory system of gastropods....
is clearly postmedial. The surface of the mantle in living slugs is covered in concentric, mobile wrinkles. In addition sometimes there is a shallow, poorly defined groove which runs above the pneumostome on the right side, not passing to the left.
The penis is short, usually bag-shaped, often with external appendages, inside with different stimulatory organs. No tubular membrane encircles the penis and vas deferens
Vas deferens
The vas deferens , also called ductus deferens, , is part of the male anatomy of many vertebrates; they transport sperm from the epididymis in anticipation of ejaculation....
. The penis retractor muscle is situated beside the right tentacle.
In this family, the number of haploid chromosome
Chromosome
A chromosome is an organized structure of DNA and protein found in cells. It is a single piece of coiled DNA containing many genes, regulatory elements and other nucleotide sequences. Chromosomes also contain DNA-bound proteins, which serve to package the DNA and control its functions.Chromosomes...
s lies between 26 and 30 (according to the values in this table).
Taxonomy
The following two subfamilies have been recognized in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005)Taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005)
The taxonomy of the Gastropoda as it was revised by Philippe Bouchet and Jean-Pierre Rocroi is currently the most up-to-date overall system for classifying gastropod mollusks...
:
- subfamily Agriolimacinae H. Wagner, 1935 - synonym: Deroceratinae Magne, 1952
- subfamily Mesolimacinae Hausdorf, 1998
Genera
Genera within the family Agriolimacidae include:subfamily Agriolimacinae
- DerocerasDerocerasDeroceras is a taxonomic genus of small to medium sized, air-breathing, land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Agriolimacidae.-Description:...
Rafinesque, 1820 - type genusType genusIn biological classification, a type genus is a representative genus, as with regard to a biological family. The term and concept is used much more often and much more formally in zoology than it is in botany, and the definition is dependent on the nomenclatural Code that applies:* In zoological...
described as Agriolimax MörchOtto Andreas Lowson MörchOtto Andreas Lowson Mörch was a biologist, specifically a malacologist. He lived in Sweden, in Denmark, and in France.- Taxa described :Bibliography and taxa described by Otto Andreas Lowson Mörch include:...
, 1865 - Furcopenis Castillejo & Wiktor, 1983
- Krynickillus Kaleniczenko, 1851
subfamily Mesolimacinae
- Mesolimax Pollonera, 1888
- Mesolimax brauni Pollonera, 1888
subfamily ?
- Lytopelte Boettger, 1886
- Megalopelte Lindholm, 1914
Cladogram
A cladogramCladogram
A cladogram is a diagram used in cladistics which shows ancestral relations between organisms, to represent the evolutionary tree of life. Although traditionally such cladograms were generated largely on the basis of morphological characters, DNA and RNA sequencing data and computational...
showing the phylogenic relationships of this family to other families within the limacoid clade
Limacoid clade
The limacoid clade is a taxonomic clade of air-breathing land snails, semislugs and slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the informal group Sigmurethra.- Distribution :...
:
External links
- Slugs of Florida on the UFUniversity of FloridaThe University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
/ IFASInstitute of Food and Agricultural SciencesThe University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences, and enhancing and sustaining the quality of human life by making that information...
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