Testacella haliotidea

Family

Testacellidae

Species

Testacella haliotidea Draparnaud, 1801

Common name

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

Description

The length of this semi-slugSemi-slug:
A snail that possess a very reduced (no definite coiling) or small shell, that is often located on the posterior edge of the mantle. The animal is not able to retract into this minute shell.
ranges from 80-120 mm. The body of this animal is light grayish-brown (sometimes yellowish), with a pale footFoot:
The muscular organ on the undersurface of the body of a mollusc upon which the animal rests or uses to crawl.
fringe and sole. The small (approx. 7-8 x 5-6 mm) external shellShell:
A hard, inflexible, calcareous or chitinous structure that vary in size and may either completely encasing the animal, covering some part of it or be internal.
of this animal is located on the dorso-posterior tip of the tail. Members of this group (Testacellidae) characteristically have two distinct, lateral (branched) grooves that originate from the anteriorAnterior:
Directional term: located in front. Nearer the head or front end of a shell.
margin of the much-reduced shellShell:
A hard, inflexible, calcareous or chitinous structure that vary in size and may either completely encasing the animal, covering some part of it or be internal.
.

Two addition species in this group have been reported from Europe and may be distinguished by the following characters:

T. haliotidea: Morphology-the dorsal lateral grooves are approximately 2 mm apart at the point of origin. Genitalia-the penis has a flagellum and the spermathecal duct is short and thick.

T. maugei: Morphology-shell larger than both species (12-16 mm long by 6-7 mm wide) and the dorsal lateral grooves are approximately 5 mm apart at the point of origin. Genitalia-the penis does not have a flagellum, and the spermathecal duct is long and thin.

T. scutulum: Morphology-the shellShell:
A hard, inflexible, calcareous or chitinous structure that vary in size and may either completely encasing the animal, covering some part of it or be internal.
is of similar size to that of T. haliotidea and the dorsal lateral grooves join (just under the shellShell:
A hard, inflexible, calcareous or chitinous structure that vary in size and may either completely encasing the animal, covering some part of it or be internal.
) before reaching the the point of origin. Genitalia-the penis does not have a flagellum and the spermathecal duct is intermediate between those of T. haliotidea and T. maugei.

Native range

Western Europe and Western Mediterranean region

Distribution

North America:

• U.S.: California
• Canada

Australia: Australia, New Zealand

Europe

Caribbean: Cuba

Ecology

This carnivorous semi-slugSemi-slug:
A snail that possess a very reduced (no definite coiling) or small shell, that is often located on the posterior edge of the mantle. The animal is not able to retract into this minute shell.
spends most of its time underground, where it hunts and consumes earthworms, snails and slugs. The shelled slugSlug:
A snail that either does not possess a shell or has one that is very reduced (no definite coiling) or internal.
is commonly found in disturbed habitats like gardens, parks and agricultural fields. This slugSlug:
A snail that either does not possess a shell or has one that is very reduced (no definite coiling) or internal.
is able to burrow to depths of up to one meter during periods of aestivation. This animal has not been reported to feed on plant material and as such should not pose a threat to agricultural produce. The ecological impact that this species may have on other terrestrial molluscMollusc:
Common name for animals in the phylum Mollusca. These are invertebrate animals, which have soft unsegmented bodies and may or may not possess a shell. This group includes gastropods (slugs and snails), cephalopods (octopus) and bivalves (clams, oysters).
species has not been documented.

Synonyms

References

Anderson 2005; Barker 1979; Barker 1999; Kerney et al. 1979; McDonnell et al. 2009