Veronicellidae
| Leatherleaf slugs | |
|---|---|
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| Veronicella sloanei | |
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| Laevicaulis alte | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura |
| Superfamily: | Veronicelloidea |
| Family: | Veronicellidae Gray, 1840[1] |
| Genera | |
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See text |
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| Synonyms | |
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Vaginulidae Martens, 1866 |
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The Veronicellidae, common name the leatherleaf slugs, are a terrestrial family of pulmonate slugs.
This family has no subfamilies (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).
The herbivorous molluscs occur mainly in the tropical and subtropical areas of America, Asia and Africa.
They act as intermediate hosts of the rat lung worm Angiostrongylus costaricensis, and act as a vector for other human diseases.[citation needed] They also cause significant damage to crops.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Description
The dorsal surface of these slugs is entirely covered by the mantle or hyponota. These mollusks have a posterior located anus, eyes on contractile (not retractile) tentacles, and no lung or pulmonary organ. In these aspects they are anatomically distinct from most other types of terrestrial slugs, which typically belong to the order Stylommatophora, and which have a forward located anus, and retractile tentacles.
The closely related members of the family Onchidiidae differ from the Veronicellidae by having a pulmonary sac, or lung.[3][4][5]
[edit] Distribution
Members of the family can be found in the Central African Republic, Kenya, the Cameroon, tropical West Africa Mexico,[6] the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Thailand, southern Asia, southern China, Taiwan, Cuba, the Highland Rainforests of Puerto Rico,[7] Florida, Dominica,[8] Hawaii,[9] the islands of the Indian Ocean, Australia, Samoa and Guyana.[10]
[edit] Life cycle
Some species of veronicellid bear live young.[11]
[edit] Genera
Genera within the family Veronicellidae include:[12]
- Angustipes Colosi 1922
- Diplosolenodes Thome, 1976[13]
- Laevicaulis Simroth, 1913
- Leidyula H. B. Baker, 1925[13][14]
- Phyllocaulis Colosi, 1922[14]
- Sarasinula Grimpe & Hoffmann, 1924[14]
- Simrothula Thomé, 1975
- Simrothula paraensis Gomes, Picanco, Mendes & Thome, 2006[15]
- Vaginula
- Vaginula rodericensis Smith, 1876[16]
- Vaginulus Férussac 1829
- Veronicella de Blainville, 1817 - type genus
[edit] References
- ^ Gray J. E. (1840). Synopsis of the contents of the British Museum, ed. 42, p. 126, p. 149.
- ^ Speiser, B (2002). Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Frick, Switzerland. http://chapingo.crcnetbase.com/books/5275/DK6323ch219.pdf.
- ^ http://www.palaeos.com/Invertebrates/Molluscs/Pulmonata/Systellommatophora.html Systellommatophora at Palaeos
- ^ http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=78765 Integrated Taxonomic Information System: Veronicellidae
- ^ http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/classification/Veronicellidae.html Univ. Michigan Animal Diversity: Veronicellidae
- ^ http://redalyc.uaemex.mx/pdf/425/42578104.pdf
- ^ (Spanish) Aguayo C. G. (1965). "Sobre el status de Veronicella portoricensis (Mollusca Pulmonata)". Caribbean Journal of Science 5(1-2): 25-28. PDF.
- ^ Robinson D. G., Hovestadt A., Fields A. & Breure A. S. H. (July 2009). "The land Mollusca of Dominica (Lesser Antilles), with notes on some enigmatic or rare species". Zoologische Mededelingen 83 http://www.zoologischemededelingen.nl/83/nr03/a13
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.jstor.org/pss/4063950
- ^ Solem A. (1972). "Tekoulina, a new viviparous tornatellinid land snail from Rarotonga, Cook Islands". Journal of Molluscan Studies (Malacological Society of London) 40 (2): 93–114., abstract.
- ^ "Veronicellidae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=78765.
- ^ a b (Spanish) Pérez A. M., Sotelo M., Arana I. & López A. (2008). "Diversidad de moluscos gasterópodos terrestres en la región del Pacífico de Nicaragua y sus preferencias de hábitat". Rev. Biol. Trop. 56(1): 317-332,. PDF
- ^ a b c Naranjo-García E., Thomé J. W. & Castillejo J. (2007). "A review of the Veronicellidae from Mexico (Gastropoda: Soleolifera). Revisión de los Veronicellidae de México (Gastropoda: Soleolifera)". Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 78: 41-50."
- ^ WoRMS (2010). Simrothula Thomé, 1975. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=456517 on 2010-03-31
- ^ WoRMS (2009). Vaginula rodericensis Smith, 1876. Accessed through the World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=214679 on 2010-03-31
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Veronicellidae |
- Veronicellidae at National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)
- Video of Veronicellid slug of Laos
- Slugs of Florida on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
