Laevicaulis alte
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
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)

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

Description

Laevicaulis alte is a round, dark-coloured slug with no shell, 7 or 8 cm (2.8 or 3.1 in) 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 (0.039 in) wide and adult specimens have a foot that is only 4 or 5 mm (0.16 or 0.20 in) wide.

The tentacles are small, 2 or 3 mm (0.079 or 0.118 in) long, and they are only rarely extended beyond the edge of the mantle.

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

Laevicaulis alte is eaten by the frog Rana tigrina.[2]

View of contracted individual, the anterior (front) end is to the right

Distribution

The species is probably indigenous to Africa, both western Africa and eastern Africa, particularly Tanzania.[3]

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

The 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

Laevicaulis alte lives in dry areas, mostly at lower altitudes.

Ventral view of foot of juvenile specimen

Life cycle

The slug hatches from eggs. Laevicaulis alte 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. The slug can grow up from 0.5 cm (0.20 in) to approximately 4 cm (1.6 in) in length in 7 months.

References

  1. ↑ "Laevicaulis alte". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Christoph Högger - Antagonists of Slugs and Snails". Archived from the original on 2007-12-14. Retrieved 2016-10-05.
  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
Wikispecies has information related to Tropical leatherleaf.

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