Tandonia budapestensis
Encyclopedia
Tandonia budapestensis is a species
of air-breathing, keel
ed, land slug
. It is a shell-less terrestrial
gastropod mollusks in the family Milacidae
.
length is less than 1/3 of body. It has blurry black bands on mantle sides. The keel is prominent, light, reaching mantle. Head and neck is blackish. The sole is narrow and cream with brown or orange hue. Mucus is colourless, yellowish when irritated, thick and sticky.
The legth is up to 70 mm. The length of preserved specimen is 30-40 mm.
Reproductive system
: Penis is rounded, wider than and approximately as long as epiphallus, vas deferens opening clearly asymmetrically at the posterior end of epiphallus, small simple papilla inside penis, spermatheca duct usually thick, vagina and atrium short, vagina accessory glands like two lobe-like objects connected to vagina by thin ducts. Spermatophore
is thin, 16 mm long, covered almost entirely with short spines.
).
It occurs in the following countries, amongst others:
Europe:
other countries:
This species is already established in the USA, and is considered to represent a potentially serious threat as a pest, an invasive species
which could negatively effect agriculture, natural ecosystems, human health or commerce. Therefore it has been suggested that this species be given top national quarantine
significance in the USA.
. It occur in natural environments in Britain only where human disturbance is involved. In south Bulgaria it is found usually between 300 and 1000 m, but locally up to 2200 m. It requires humidity and is active at night. It buries also into heavy soils.
It is widespread in some countries and it is still spreading in the British Isles.
The biology of the species has been reviewed by Reise et al. (2006). Copulation is in Britain from November to January, in Central Europe from April to autumn. Slugs may copulate several times in their life. Copulation begins usually at night and may last 15 hours or more, everted genitalia are visible between partners. In Britain juveniles hatch in April or May. The maturity is reached next autumn. Up to more than 20 eggs are laid at a time. In Central Europe eggs, sub-adults and adults pass the winter.
This species is a pest in crops of root vegetables.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of air-breathing, keel
Keel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
ed, land slug
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...
. It is a shell-less 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...
gastropod mollusks in the family Milacidae
Milacidae
Milacidae is a family of air-breathing, keeled, land slugs. These are shell-less terrestrial gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Parmacelloidea.This family has no subfamilies ....
.
Description
This slug is a dark brownish grey, with a keel of a brighter color. Slug is yellowish grey to brown or dark grey, with numerous black spots so that the slug may appear evenly black-brown, slightly lighter at the sides. The animal is very slender, gradually narrowing posteriorly. 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...
length is less than 1/3 of body. It has blurry black bands on mantle sides. The keel is prominent, light, reaching mantle. Head and neck is blackish. The sole is narrow and cream with brown or orange hue. Mucus is colourless, yellowish when irritated, thick and sticky.
The legth is up to 70 mm. The length of preserved specimen is 30-40 mm.
Reproductive system
Reproductive system of gastropods
The reproductive system of gastropods varies greatly from one group to another within this very large and diverse taxonomic class of animals...
: Penis is rounded, wider than and approximately as long as epiphallus, vas deferens opening clearly asymmetrically at the posterior end of epiphallus, small simple papilla inside penis, spermatheca duct usually thick, vagina and atrium short, vagina accessory glands like two lobe-like objects connected to vagina by thin ducts. Spermatophore
Spermatophore
A spermatophore or sperm ampulla is a capsule or mass created by males of various animal species, containing spermatozoa and transferred in entirety to the female's ovipore during copulation...
is thin, 16 mm long, covered almost entirely with short spines.
Distribution
This slug is native to Europe. Originally most probably from southeastern Alps and north Balkans to Hungary and Romania (TransylvaniaTransylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
).
It occurs in the following countries, amongst others:
Europe:
- Austria
- Bulgaria
- British Isles: introduced before 1880: Great Britain and Ireland
- Czech Republic - least concern (LC)
- France
- Hebrides
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Kaliningrad
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Turkey
- Ukraine
other countries:
- New Zealand
- USA
This species is already established in the USA, and is considered to represent a potentially serious threat as a pest, an invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
which could negatively effect agriculture, natural ecosystems, human health or commerce. Therefore it has been suggested that this species be given top national quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
significance in the USA.
Habitat
This slug mainly lives in secondary, anthropogenous (man-made) habitats, such as farmland. Habitat of Tandonia budapestensis include parks, gardens, ruins and cultivated fields. It lives as a synanthropeSynanthrope
Synanthropes is a term applied to species of wild animals and plants of various kinds that live near, and benefit from, an association with humans and the somewhat artificial habitats that humans create around them . Those habitats include houses, gardens, farms, roadsides, garbage dumps, and so on...
. It occur in natural environments in Britain only where human disturbance is involved. In south Bulgaria it is found usually between 300 and 1000 m, but locally up to 2200 m. It requires humidity and is active at night. It buries also into heavy soils.
It is widespread in some countries and it is still spreading in the British Isles.
The biology of the species has been reviewed by Reise et al. (2006). Copulation is in Britain from November to January, in Central Europe from April to autumn. Slugs may copulate several times in their life. Copulation begins usually at night and may last 15 hours or more, everted genitalia are visible between partners. In Britain juveniles hatch in April or May. The maturity is reached next autumn. Up to more than 20 eggs are laid at a time. In Central Europe eggs, sub-adults and adults pass the winter.
Human relevance
It is noxious to crops, in lowland England particularly in potatoes.This species is a pest in crops of root vegetables.