Field slugs
| Field slugs | ||||||||||||
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( Deroceras praecox ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Agriolimacidae | ||||||||||||
| H. Wagner , 1935 |
The slugs - family of field slugs , also called small snails , ( lat. Agriolimacidae) belong to the order of the pulmonate slugs (Pulmonata). They represent the largest family of slugs.
features
Most of the species in the field snail family are small to medium in size. Specimens of the genera Mesolimax and Krynickillus are the longest species with a body length of up to 60 mm. The coat is relatively large in the field snails and takes up about a third of the body length. In the species of the genus Megalopelte , the mantle covers almost the entire surface of the animal. The breathing hole is located median or approximately median. The coat directly around the breathing hole is slightly raised. The surface of the field snails is covered with concentrically arranged movable folds. A small shell plate (remainder of the snail shell) is still preserved in the jacket.
The foot of the field snail is keel-shaped only at the end. The breathing hole is located in the rear half of the mantle shield and is relatively small.
Occurrence and distribution
The species of the families inhabit a variety of habitats, mostly moist biotopes are preferred, but some species also live in extremely dry areas. The majority of species prefer to eat fresh plant material. The distribution of the family was originally Palearctic with a focus on diversity in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea region. However, today some species have been introduced almost worldwide.
Harmful effect
Among the species belonging to the field snail are many synanthropic , i.e. H. species adapted to humans that are often classified as pests. De facto, however, there are only a few species that (can) actually cause financial damage, such as B. the reticulated field snail ( Deroceras reticulatum ). Species that are carried over from their original range to other habitats can also be very problematic, as their natural enemies are often absent there.
Systematics
The family Agriolimacidae is divided into two subfamilies according to Hausdorf, whereby the subfamily Mesolimacinae is monotypical and only contains the genus Mesolimax with two species. The majority of the genera with currently more than 60 species together are placed in the subfamily Agriolimacinae.
- Family field snails (Agriolimacidae Wagner, 1935)
- Subfamily Agriolimacinae Wagner, 1935
- Genus Deroceras Rafinesque, 1820 (is divided into 5 subgenera by Schileyko: D. (Deroceras) Rafinesque, 1820, D. (Nipponolimax) Yamaguchi & Habe, 1955, D. (Plathystimlus) Wiktor, 1973, D. (Agriolimax) Mörch, 1865 and D. (Liolytopelte) Simroth, 1901), with currently 53 species
- Genus Furcopenis Castillejo & Wiktor, 1983, with two species (one species?)
- Genus Krynickillus Kaleniczenko, 1851 (is divided into two sub-genera by Schileyko: K. (Krynickillus) Kaleniczenko, 1851 and K. (Toxolimax) Simroth, 1899), with a total of three species
- Genus Lytopelte Boettger 1886, with one species
- Genus Megalopelte Lindholm, 1914, with one species
- Subfamily Mesolimacinae Hausdorf, 1998
- Subfamily Agriolimacinae Wagner, 1935
- Mesolimax Pollonera, 1888, with two species
In the cladistic classification of the Limacoidea , the Agriolimacidae are the sister group of the Limacidae ( Schnegel ) according to Hausdorf .
| Limacoidea |
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literature
- Bernhard Hausdorf: Phylogeny of the Limacoidea sensu lato (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora). In: Journal of Molluscan Studies. 64: 35-66, London 1998 ISSN 0260-1230
- Bernhard Hausdorf, Macroevolution in progress: competition between semislugs and slugs resulting in ecological displacement and ecological release. In Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 74/2001, pp. 387-95.
- Johann Carl Leuchs: Complete natural history of the field snail (...) An award-winning publication . Handlungs-Zeitung, Nuremberg 1820. - Full text online .
- K. Lill: Deroceras panormitanum and Limax maximus on the East Frisian dune island Baltrum (Gastropoda: Agriolimacidae, Limacidae). 13/1999, pp. 55-6
- K. Lill: On the distribution of Deroceras panormitanum, D. sturanyi, Candidula gigaxii and Monacha cartusiana in Lower Saxony and Bremen (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora: Agriolimacidae, Hygromiidae). , 17/2001. Pp. 79-86
- Anatolij A. Schileyko: Treatise on Recent Terrestrial Pulmonate Molluscs Part 11 Trigonochlamydidae, Papillodermidae, Vitrinidae, Limacidae, Bielziidae, Agriolimacidae, Boettgerillidae, Camaenidae. Ruthenica, Supplement 2 (11): 1467-1626, Moscow 2003 ISSN 0136-0027
- M. Wolf: Relationships and reproductive mechanisms of six western European species of the genus Deroceras RAFINESQUE 1820 (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Agriolimacidae). , Diploma thesis, Faculty of Biology, University of Tübingen, 1990.
- AML Zanchet: Comparative Anatomy, Histology and Ultrastructure of the Digestive System Limacoid and Milacoid Nudibranch (Gastropodo, Pulmonata: Agriolimacidae, Limacidae, Boettgerillidae, Milacidae) , Dissertation, University of Tübingen, 1995
