Burnup's hunter slug (''Chlamydephorus burnupi''), also known as the camel huntingslug is a species of land

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 ...

in the family

Chlamydephoridae ''Chlamydephorus'' is a genus of air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Chlamydephoridae. It is the only genus within the family Chlamydephoridae.Herbert D. G. (1997). "The terrestrial slugs of KwaZul ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, where it is known from the foothills of central Natal Drakensberg to Port St. Johns.

Description

It is orange to reddish-brown and around 8 cm when extended. It has distinct scalloped keels along the side of its body with a flattened lower dorsal side, in the center of which is the respiratory opening. The body has a hump two-thirds of the way down.

Habitat and Ecology

It is found under stones or logs in leaf-litter in mist-belt

Podocarpus ''Podocarpus'' () is a genus of conifers, the most numerous and widely distributed of the podocarp family, the Podocarpaceae. ''Podocarpus'' species are evergreen shrubs or trees, usually from tall, known to reach at times. The cones have ...

forest. It is known to prey on pill-millipedes, possibly by introducing a toxin that immobilizes them. Snails and earthworms may also be part of its diet.

Conservation

In June 2000, the species was listed as Vulnerable on the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...

, citing fragmented populations and decline of habitat.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5000265 Endemic molluscs of South Africa Chlamydephoridae Gastropods of Africa Vulnerable animals Vulnerable biota of Africa Gastropods described in 1892 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot