Lehmannia

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Lehmannia
Lehmannia melitensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Order: Stylommatophora
Family: Limacidae
Subfamily: Limacinae
Genus: Lehmannia
Heynemann, 1863[1]
Type species
Lehmannia marginata
(O.F. Müller, 1774)

Lehmannia is a genus of air-breathing land slugs in the family Limacidae, the keelback slugs. The genus is distributed in Europe and North Africa.[2]

Description[edit]

These are narrow-bodied slugs up to 8 centimeters long. The mantle covers less than a third of the body length. They are cream-colored to brown or black, usually with at least two longitudinal stripes along the mantle. The sole of the foot is lightest in the middle. The penis is short compared to those of Limax, and in shape it may be "tubular, baggy, or claviform" (club-shaped).[2] The mucus is watery.[2]

Biology[edit]

Many species live in mountain habitat, where they can be found on trees and rocks and feed on lichens.[2] Other species (in particular those placed by some authorities in the genus Ambigolimax) are synanthropic and invasive.

Species[edit]

There are about 18 species in the genus. Currently (2022) authorities disagree whether to split off some species into the genus Ambigolimax, as some phylogenies based on DNA sequences suggest is appropriate.[3] The following list defines Lehmannia in the broad sense (sensu lato), but indicates which species have been placed in Ambigolimax:[4][3]

Note that the name Lehmannia nyctelia (= Ambigolimax nyctelius) is no longer valid. The species originally given the species name is in the genus Letourneuxia, but the name has been mistakenly applied to three of the species listed above (L. carpatica, A. parvipenis and A. waterstoni).[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ (in German) Heynemann F. D. (1863). "Einige Mittheilungen der Schneckenzungen mit besonderer Beachtung der Gattung Limax". Malakozoologische Blätter 10: 200-216, Taf. II-III [= 2-3]. Cassel.
  2. ^ a b c d Genus summary for Lehmannia. AnimalBase, last modified 24 July 2007, accessed 8 April 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d Hutchinson, John M.C.; Reise, Heike; Schlitt, Bettina (30 June 2022). "Will the real Limax nyctelius please step forward: Lehmannia, Ambigolimax, or Malacolimax? No, Letourneuxia!". Archiv für Molluskenkunde. 151 (1): 19–41. doi:10.1127/arch.moll/151/019-041.
  4. ^ Species in genus Lehmannia. AnimalBase, accessed 12 August 2009.