''Tandonia kusceri'' is a species of

slug Slug, or land slug, is a common name for any apparently shell-less Terrestrial mollusc, terrestrial gastropod mollusc. The word ''slug'' is also often used as part of the common name of any gastropod mollusc that has no shell, a very reduced ...

belonging to the family

Milacidae Milacidae is a family (biology), family of air-breathing, keel (slug), keeled, land slugs. These are shell-less terrestrial molluscs, terrestrial gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Parmacelloidea. This family has no subfamilies (according to ...

Identification

''Tandonia kusceri'' has the long

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...

continuing up to the mantle that is typical of the

and is pale pinky brown, usually with small black spots. It is thus liable to be confused with its close relative '' Tandonia rustica'', requiring dissection for reliable distinction. ''Tandonia kusceri'' is distinct from this and other ''Tandonia'' species in having a very long epiphallus, five or more times as long as the penis. Another externally similar species is '' Tandonia serbica''; it has been questioned whether it is truly distinct from ''T. kusceri''. Length of crawling individuals up to . Specimens preserved in alcohol lose the pink colouration.

Distribution

The species is believed to be

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

to parts of the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

(Bulgaria, the European part of Turkey, northern Greece, North Macedonia, Serbia) and eastern Romania. It has been introduced more widely: *It was reported in the Odessa region of Ukraine already in 1902, which might or might not represent an introduction. In 1998 it was observed in the

Mykolaiv Mykolaiv ( ), also known as Nikolaev ( ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and a hromada (municipality) in southern Ukraine. Mykolaiv is the Administrative centre, administrative center of Mykolaiv Raion (Raions of Ukraine, district) and Myk ...

region and in 2004 in the

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

. The first record from further west, in the Transcarpathian region, was in 2018, and it continues to spread further. *Croatia (garden in

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik, historically known as Ragusa, is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, a Port, seaport and the centre of the Dubrovni ...

) in 1972 *Montenegro since 2000 *Moldova since 2011 *Slovakia since 2014 *

Samothraki Island Samothrace (also known as Samothraki; , ) is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea. It is a municipality within the Evros regional unit of Thrace. The island is long, in size and has a population of 2,596 (2021 census). Its main industries ...

in Greece since 2017 *Hungary, widely distributed when first noted in 2019 *Austria since 2020 *In the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

region, there are records from both Russia and Georgia (both in 2021). *In the USA it was reported from a

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

garden in 2013. *In Canada, there are numerous records from

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

from 2017 onwards.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q14750484 Milacidae Gastropods of Europe Gastropods described in 1931