''Geomalacus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of large air-breathing 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 ...

s, terrestrial

pulmonate Pulmonata or pulmonates is an informal group (previously an order, and before that, a subclass) of snails and slugs characterized by the ability to breathe air, by virtue of having a pallial lung instead of a gill, or gills. The group inclu ...

gastropod Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...

mollusk Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda. The ...

s in the family Arionidae, the roundback slugs.

Etymology

The

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

word () means the Earth. The Greek word () means

mollusc Mollusca is a phylum of protostome, protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant taxon, extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum ...

Distribution

Western Europe

Species

This genus contains the following species: subgenus '' Geomalacus'' * '' Geomalacus maculosus'' Allman, 1843 -

Kerry slug The Kerry slug or Kerry spotted slug (''Geomalacus maculosus'') is a species of terrestrial, pulmonate, gastropod mollusc. It is a medium-to-large sized, air-breathing land slug in the Family (biology), family of roundback slugs, Arionidae. Ad ...

subgenus '' Arrudia'' Pollonera, 1890 Pollonera C. (1890) ''Boll. Mus. Zool. Comp. Torino'', 5, no. 87, 36. * '' Geomalacus anguiformis'' (Morelet, 1845) * '' Geomalacus malagensis'' Wiktor & Norris, 1991 *::known by some as ''Geomalacus moreleti'' (Hesse, 1884) * '' Geomalacus oliveirae'' Simroth, 1891

Description

Animal limaciform, subcylindrical, blunt behind, with a but little developed mucous pore; mantle anterior, close to the head, concealing a shell-plate; a distinct locomotive disk; respiratory orifice on the right anterior margin of the mantle; genital orifice behind and below the right eye- peduncle. Shell-plate

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime (mineral), lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of Science, scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcare ...

ovate Ovate may refer to: * Ovate (egg-shaped) leaves, tepals, or other botanical parts *Ovate, a type of prehistoric stone hand axe * Ovates, one of three ranks of membership in the Welsh Gorsedd * Vates or ovate, a term for ancient Celtic bards ...

, small and solid. Jaw costulated; lingual dentition as in '' Arion''. The main diagnostic feature of the

reproductive system The reproductive system of an organism, also known as the genital system, is the biological system made up of all the anatomical organs involved in sexual reproduction. Many non-living substances such as fluids, hormones, and pheromones are al ...

differing from genera '' Arion'', '' Letourneuxia'' and '' Ariunculus'' is, that species in the genus ''Geomalacus'' has atrium with diverticulum. The free oviduct is short; the retractor muscle is attached to the spermatheca duct; vas deferens and epiphalus are long.

References

This article incorporates public domain text from reference. Tryon G. W. (1885) '' Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonatabr>Volume 1
Testacellidae, Oleacinidae,

Streptaxidae Streptaxidae is a family of carnivorous air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the clade Stylommatophora. Streptaxidae are monophyletic while all subfamilies and several genera are polyphyletic. Six Streptaxi ...

Helicoidea Helicoidea is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic Taxonomic rank, superfamily of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial molluscs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the order (taxonomy), order Stylommatophora. Taxonomy 2017 taxonomy and l ...

, Vitrinidae, Limacidae, Arionidae.'' 364 pp., 60 plates
page 232plate 45
figure 14 (radula), figure 15 (jaw).

External links

* Patrão C., de Sousa J. T., Jordaens K., Backeljau T., Castilho R. & Leitão A. (2013). "''Geomalacus'' and ''Letourneuxia'' (Mollusca, Pulmonata): A Cytogenetic Assessment". ''

Malacologia ''Malacologia'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal in the field of malacology, the study of mollusks. The journal publishes articles in the fields of molluscan systematics, ecology, population ecology, genetics, molecular genetics, evolution, an ...

'' 56(1-2): 333-338. . {{Taxonbar, from=Q150932 Arionidae Taxa named by George Allman (natural historian) Taxonomy articles created by Polbot