Laevicaulis alte

Laevicaulis alte, the tropical leatherleaf, is a species of tropical land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Veronicellidae, the leatherleaf slugs.

Laevicaulis alte
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Systellommatophora
Family: Veronicellidae
Genus: Laevicaulis
Species:
L. alte
Binomial name
Laevicaulis alte
(Férussac, 1822)
Synonyms[1]
  • Eleutherocaulis alte (Férussac, 1822)
  • Filicaulis alte (Férussac, 1822)
  • Filicaulis frauenfeldi (Semper, 1885)
  • Laevicaulis maillardi (P.Fischer, 1871)
  • Meisenheimeria alte (Férussac, 1822)
  • Vaginula bocagei Simroth, 1893
  • Vaginula brevis P.Fischer, 1871
  • Vaginula elegans Semper, 1885
  • Vaginula frauenfeldi Semper, 1885
  • Vaginula leydigi Simroth, 1889
  • Vaginula leydigi var. celebensis Simroth, 1918
  • Vaginula leydigi var. keyana Simroth, 1918
  • Vaginula maculosa Hasselt, 1830
  • Vaginula maillardi P.Fischer, 1871
  • Vaginulus alte Férussac, 1822
  • Vaginulus petersi E.von Martens, 1879
  • Veronicella petersi (E.von Martens, 1879)
  • Veronicella willeyi Collinge, 1900

Description

Laevicaulis alte is a round, dark-coloured slug with no shell, 7 or 8 cm long. Its skin is slightly tuberculated. The central keel is beige in colour.

This slug has a unique, very narrow foot; juvenile specimens have a foot 1 mm wide and adult specimens have a foot that is only 4 or 5 mm wide.

The tentacles are small, 2 or 3 mm long, and they are only rarely extended beyond the edge of the mantle.

View of contracted individual, the anterior end is to the right

Parasites

This slug is an intermediate host for Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the rat lungworm, a round worm, the most common cause of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis.[2]

Predators

This slug is eaten by the frog Rana tigrina.[2]

Distribution

This species is probably indigenous to Africa (western Africa and eastern Africa).

It has been introduced and become an invasive species[4] in the following areas:

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 affect agriculture, natural ecosystems, human health or commerce. Therefore, it has been suggested that this species be given top national quarantine significance in the USA.[7]

Habitat

This species lives in dry areas, mostly at lower altitudes.

Ventral view of foot of juvenile specimen

Feeding habits

What this slug eats in the wild is not known. In captivity this slug will eat:

In captivity it will not eat:

Life cycle

This slug hatches from eggs. This species has several adaptations for living in dry conditions: a rounded shape with as small as possible surface area, and a narrow foot to reduce evaporation.

Juvenile specimens search for food nearly always at night, and stay buried in the soil during the day. Larger specimens are active during the day sometimes. This slug can grow up from 0.5 cm to approximately 4 cm in length in 7 months.

References
  1. "Laevicaulis alte". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-12-14. Retrieved 2016-10-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. Rowson B., Warren B. H. & Ngereza C. F. (2010). "Terrestrial molluscs of Pemba Island, Zanzibar, Tanzania, and its status as an "oceanic" island". ZooKeys 70: 1-39. doi:10.3897/zookeys.70.762.
  4. "Laevicaulis alte Laevicaulis alte (Ferussac)".
  5. Wu S.-P., Hwang C.-C., Huang H.-M., Chang H.-W., Lin Y.-S. & Lee P.-F. (2007). "Land Molluscan Fauna of the Dongsha Island with Twenty New Recorded Species". Taiwania 52(2): 145-151. Original.
  6. "Comprehensive Report Species - Laevicaulis alte". www.natureserve.org. Archived from the original on 2007-09-26.
  7. Cowie R. H., Dillon R. T., Robinson D. G. & Smith J. W. (2009). "Alien non-marine snails and slugs of priority quarantine importance in the United States: A preliminary risk assessment". American Malacological Bulletin 27: 113-132. PDF Archived 2016-06-16 at the Wayback Machine.

Images:

Genome:

  • Sequences 18S rRNA
  • Vernacular names: :
    • 皺足蛞蝓 (Chinese)
    • アシヒダナメクジ (Japanese)
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