Tandonia spp.

Family

Milacidae

Species

Tandonia budapestensis (Hazay, 1881)

T. sowerbyi (Ferussac, 1823)

T. rustica (Millet, 1843)

Common name

Tandonia budapestensis: Keeled slugSlug:
A snail that either does not possess a shell or has one that is very reduced (no definite coiling) or internal.
, Budapest slug

Tandonia sowerbyi: None reported.

Tandonia rustica: Bulb-eating slugSlug:
A snail that either does not possess a shell or has one that is very reduced (no definite coiling) or internal.
, Root-eating slug

Description

Tandonia budapestensis: Mature, fully extended members of this species will be between 50-70 mm long. The body color of this species is variable. Typically the animals appears black at fist glance; however, it has a pale cream or orange background with very dense, dark-colored speckling. This species has a distinct olive or pale orange-colored keelKeel:
Also known as the carina. This is a longitudinal ridge that runs dorsally along the apex of the tail of the animal.
that extends from the tip of the tail to the posteriorPosterior:
Directional term: the rear or tail end of an animal.
margin of the mantleMantle:
A fleshy, membranous covering of the anterior portion of the body of a mollusc. It secretes the materials that form the shell.
. The pneumostomePneumostome:
This is the breathing hole on the right side of the mantle of molluscs. This allows air to pass through to the lung for gas exchange.(See also breathing pore).
is located in the posteriorPosterior:
Directional term: the rear or tail end of an animal.
half of the mantleMantle:
A fleshy, membranous covering of the anterior portion of the body of a mollusc. It secretes the materials that form the shell.
and has a grey border. There is also a horseshoe-shaped grooveGroove:
An elongate and fairly uniform depression or indentation in the shell or soft parts of a mollusc.
in the center of the mantleMantle:
A fleshy, membranous covering of the anterior portion of the body of a mollusc. It secretes the materials that form the shell.
. The sole is tripartiteTripartite:
Having three distinct section/regions.
: dark in the middle and pale on either side. The footFoot:
The muscular organ on the undersurface of the body of a mollusc upon which the animal rests or uses to crawl.
mucus is colorless. This slender slugSlug:
A snail that either does not possess a shell or has one that is very reduced (no definite coiling) or internal.
often coils into a 'C' shape when it is not active. Other species in this family will contract their bodies into a dome-shape at rest.

Tandonia sowerbyi: Fully extended specimens of this species will be approximately 60-75 mm. The body of the animal is pale or dark brown. Unlike T. budapestensis this species has dark blotches all over its body. The keelKeel:
Also known as the carina. This is a longitudinal ridge that runs dorsally along the apex of the tail of the animal.
is pale in color, and the grooves between the tuberclesTubercles:
An enlarged or raised region on the body of a slug. The shape of this structure is very variable. (See also tubercle)
are pigmented. The breathing poreBreathing pore:
This is the breathing hole on the right side of the mantle of molluscs. This allows air to pass through to the mantle for gas exchange. (See also pneumostome).
has a pale border. The pale sole of this animal produces a contrasting yellow mucus.

Tandonia rustica: This slugSlug:
A snail that either does not possess a shell or has one that is very reduced (no definite coiling) or internal.
can measure up to 100 mm long when fully extended. The color of the bulb-eating slugSlug:
A snail that either does not possess a shell or has one that is very reduced (no definite coiling) or internal.
is variable ranging from off-white to dirty yellow to reddish. All color morphs have multiple black flecks. Similar to the other two species describe in this fact sheetFact sheet:
1). A presentation of data in an HTML format on any subject emphasizing brevity, key points of interest or concern, and a way to convey the most relevant information in the least amount of space; 2). An HTML page itemizing the facts or pertinent information about each of a tool's entities.
. Typical of the Tandonia genus, this species also has a pale colored (yellowish to white) keelKeel:
Also known as the carina. This is a longitudinal ridge that runs dorsally along the apex of the tail of the animal.
. The very large mantleMantle:
A fleshy, membranous covering of the anterior portion of the body of a mollusc. It secretes the materials that form the shell.
occupies approximately 40 % of the animal's body length. There is a lateral, black streak in the horseshoe-shaped grooveGroove:
An elongate and fairly uniform depression or indentation in the shell or soft parts of a mollusc.
in the mantleMantle:
A fleshy, membranous covering of the anterior portion of the body of a mollusc. It secretes the materials that form the shell.
. The cream-colored sole of this species produces colorless mucus. When disturbed, this species produces thick, milky mucus.

Native range

Tandonia budapestensis: Eastern Europe

T. sowerbyi: Western Europe and the Mediterranean region

T. rustica: Central and Southern Europe

Distribution

North America:

• U.S.: Pennsylvania, Washington D.C.

Australasia: New Zealand (except Tandonia budapestensis )

Europe

Ecology

These species commonly occurs in greenhouses, gardens, ploughed fields and woods. They have the capability to burrow into the soil at depths of 37 cm. All species are known to eat living plant material. Tandonia budapestensis has been recorded to be a pest of potatoes, other root crops and ornamental plants.

Synonyms

Tandonia budapestensis:

• Milax gracilis (Leydig, 1876)
• Limax gracilis Leydig, 1876. Arch. Naturgesch. 62(1): 276 (not Rafinesque, 1820).
• Amalia budapestensis Hazay, 1881. Die Mollusken-fauna von Budapest, Malakozool. Bl. (n.s.) 3: 37. Type locality Budapest.
• Amalia cibiniensis Kimakowicz, 1884. Verh. Mitth. siebenb. Ver. Naturwiss. 33: 220.

Tandonia sowerbyi:

• Milax sowerbyi (Ferussac, 1823)
• Limax sowerbyi Ferussac, 1823. Histoire nayurelle generale et particuliere des mollusques terrestres et fluviatiles (Nouvelle division de pulmones sans opercule) 2: 96. Type locality London.
• Limax carinatus Risso, 1826. Nat. Hist. Moll. Medit.: 56.
• Limax marginatus Jefferies, 1862. Brit. Conchol. I: 132 (not Muller, 1774; not Draparnaud, 1805).
• Amalia marginata (not Muller, not Draparnaud) var mongianensis Paulucci, 1879. Esc. Scient. Calabria: 23.
• Amalia tyrrena Lessona & Pollonera, 1882. Monogr. Limacidae Ital.: 56.
• Amalia maculata Collinge, 1895. Proc. Malac. Soc. Lond. 1(7): 336.
• Amalia collingei Hesse, 1926. Abh. Arch. Moll. 2(1): 139.

Tandonia rustica:

• Limax rustica Millet 1843
• Limax marginatus Draparnaud 1805

References

Anderson 2005; Barker 1979; Cowie et al. 2009; Horsak 2004; Reise et al, 2006; Wiktor 1996