| Ambigolimax parvipenis | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
| Order: | Stylommatophora |
| Superfamily: | Limacoidea |
| Family: | Limacidae |
| Genus: | Ambigolimax |
| Species: | A. parvipenis |
| Binomial name | |
| Ambigolimax parvipenis Hutchinson, Reise & Schlitt, 2022 [1] | |
| Synonyms | |
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Ambigolimax parvipenis is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the Limacidae.
Ambigolimax parvipenis was first clearly characterised in 2014, based on specimens from the British Isles. [2] [3] This work showed it to be distinct from the externally similar Ambigolimax valentianus on the basis both of genital anatomy and of the genetic sequences in the barcoding COI mitochondrial gene. The species later named Ambigolimax parvipenis was at that time referred to as Ambigolimax nyctelius (Bourguignat, 1861) because of some similarity in genital anatomy with a slug species from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh that had been named Limax nyctelius or Lehmannia nyctelia [4] (since [1] renamed Ambigolimax waterstoni ). These two slug species both lack a penial appendage but differ considerably in the length of the penis. In 2022 [1] it was shown that they are indeed different species, that they had both been confused with an Eastern European species ( Lehmannia carpatica ), and furthermore that the slug originally named Limax nyctelius was yet another species.
Accordingly it was necessary to coin the new name Ambigolimax parvipenis. [5] The etymology of the name is the genitive of "parvus penis", the Latin for "small penis". The type locality is Almondbury churchyard, West Yorkshire, England. [1]
The native distribution is unknown. The species was recorded at several sites in Cornwall and Devon (SW England) in 1999–2000, but a 1987 record from Suffolk might also be this species. Since then it has spread widely in Britain and Ireland and by the end of 2021 was reported from 25 vice-counties in Britain and 3 in Ireland. It is known also from France, Hungary, Greece, and Spain, including the Canary Islands and Chafarinas Islands. [1] [6] It is widespread in California [7] (earliest record = 2005), with one record from Arizona. [1]
The species is typically found in gardens and similar disturbed habitats. [3]
Historical (pre-2022) records of Limax nyctelius, Lehmannia nyctelia or Ambigolimax nyctelius from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Edinburgh and Elba are now known to be of A. waterstoni, and those from the Carpathian Mountains south to Bulgaria are of Lehmannia carpatica. [1]
Adult slugs are up to 80 mm long when crawling but often mature at a much smaller size. [3] Like other limacids, they are slim with a pointed tail, and the pneumostome lies in the posterior half of the mantle. The mucus is transparent and colourless. The background colour is yellowish-grey to various shades of brown, with the flanks paler and the sole pale cream. Usually there are at least traces of a pair of dark lines running either side of the midline of the back, and another pair of dark lines on either side of the mantle. Often there are additional such longitudinal lines and spotting. None of these external characters reliably distinguish the species from Ambigolimax valentianus (which often co-occurs with A. parvipenis) or other species of Ambigolimax. [1] [3] [7]
The penis is distinctive by its small size (roughly half the length of the bursa copulatrix and duct) and lack of a penial appendage (although vestigial knobs are occasionally present). However, the penial appendage of A. valentianus may sometimes be inverted inside the penis, so slitting open the penis is necessary to confirm its absence. [1] [3]
Limax maximus, known by the common names great grey slug and leopard slug, is a species of slug in the family Limacidae, the keeled slugs. It is among the largest keeled slugs, Limax cinereoniger being the largest.
The red slug, also known as the large red slug, chocolate arion and European red slug, is a species of land slug in the family Arionidae, the roundback slugs.
Limax is a genus of air-breathing land slugs in the terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk family Limacidae.
Limax cinereoniger, the ash-black slug is a large species of air-breathing land slug in the terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc family Limacidae, the keelback slugs. This is the largest land slug species in the world.
Limacidae, also known by their common name the keelback slugs, are a taxonomic family of medium-sized to very large, air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Limacoidea.
Deroceras panormitanum is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Agriolimacidae.
Lehmannia is a genus of air-breathing land slugs in the family Limacidae, the keelback slugs. The genus is distributed in Europe and North Africa.
Ambigolimax valentianus is a species of terrestrial slug, a pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Limacidae. It has spread very widely around the world, especially in greenhouses, where it can be a pest; in warmer climates it has often then spread outdoors. Comparatively much has been learnt about its life cycle and temperature relations. Dissection is necessary to reliably distinguish it from congeners in regions where these co-occur.
Arion circumscriptus, common name brown-banded arion, is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Arionidae. It is commonest in woodland, occurring across most of Europe, except for more southern regions, and is also widespread in North America. It has been argued that A. circumscriptus is best considered a colour morph of Arion fasciatus.
Letourneuxia is a genus of large air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Arionidae, the roundback slugs.
Lehmannia melitensis is a species of air-breathing land slug, a shell-less pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Limacidae.
Deroceras invadens is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Agriolimacidae. Until 2011, this widely distributed species was known as Deroceras panormitanum, and earlier as Deroceras caruanae or Agriolimax caruanae, but Reise et al. (2011) showed that these names refer to a distinct species of similar external appearance known at that time only from Sicily and Malta. Consequently, although the more widespread species was already well known, it then had to be redescribed under the new name of D. invadens. Genetic evidence has indicated that D. invadens is native in southern Italy, including parts of Sicily, and possibly parts of central Italy. Elsewhere it has been introduced, predominantly within the last 100 years, but its spread has been constrained by cold winter temperatures.
Ambigolimax is a genus of air-breathing land slugs in the family Limacidae, the keelback slugs. There is still ongoing disagreement whether it is more appropriate to consider Ambigolimax as merely a subgenus of Lehmannia; the evidence for splitting them is phylogenetic trees constructed on the basis of DNA sequences.
The name Ambigolimax nyctelius has been used to refer to several species of air-breathing land slugs in the family Limacidae. An article published in 2022 revealed this confusion and furthermore showed that the original description applied to a slug species in a different family. The above names are therefore no longer appropriate and care is need to interpret the meaning of earlier usages.
Letourneuxia nyctelia is a species of terrestrial slug, a gastropod mollusc, belonging to the family Arionidae.
Ambigolimax waterstoni is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Limacidae.
Lehmannia carpatica is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Limacidae.