''Lehmannia'' is a genus of 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 in the family
Limacidae
Limacidae, also known by their common name the keelback slugs, are a taxonomic family of medium-sized to very large, air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Limacoidea.
Distribution
The distributio ...
, the keelback slugs. The genus is distributed in Europe and North Africa.
[Genus summary for ''Lehmannia'']
AnimalBase, last modified 24 July 2007, accessed 8 April 2012.
Description
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
A penis (; : penises or penes) is a sex organ through which male and hermaphrodite animals expel semen during copulation (zoology), copulation, and through which male placental mammals and marsupials also Urination, urinate.
The term ''pen ...
is short compared to those of ''
Limax
''Limax'' is a genus of air-breathing land slugs in the terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk family Limacidae.
The generic name ''Limax'' literally means "slug".
Some species, such as the leopard slug (''L. maximus''), are beneficial fo ...
'', and in shape it may be "tubular, baggy, or claviform" (club-shaped).
[ The ]mucus
Mucus (, ) is a slippery aqueous secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. It is typically produced from cells found in mucous glands, although it may also originate from mixed glands, which contain both Serous fluid, serous and muc ...
is watery.[
]
Biology
Many species live in mountain habitat, where they can be found on trees and rocks and feed on lichen
A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...
s.[ Other species (in particular those placed by some authorities in the genus ''Ambigolimax'') are synanthropic and invasive.
]
Species
There are about 18 species in the genus. Currently (2022) authorities disagree whether to split off some species into the genus ''Ambigolimax
''Ambigolimax'' is a genus of air-breathing land slugs in the family Limacidae, the keelback slugs.
There is still ongoing disagreement whether it is more appropriate to consider ''Ambigolimax'' as merely a subgenus of '' Lehmannia''; the evid ...
'', as some phylogenies based on DNA sequences suggest is appropriate.[ The following list defines ''Lehmannia'' in the broad sense (]sensu lato
''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular co ...
), but indicates which species have been placed in ''Ambigolimax'':[Species in genus ''Lehmannia''](_blank)
AnimalBase, accessed 12 August 2009.[
* '' Lehmannia brunneri'' (H. Wagner, 1931)
* '' Lehmannia horezia'' Grossu & Lupu, 1962
* '' Lehmannia carpatica'' Hutchinson, Reise & Schlitt, 2022
* '' Lehmannia islandica'' Forcart, 1966
* '' Lehmannia janetscheki'' Forcart, 1966
* '' Lehmannia jaroslaviae'' Grossu, 1967
* '' Lehmannia macroflagellata'' Grossu et Lupu, 1962
* '' Lehmannia marginata'' (O.F. Müller, 1774) – tree slug (type species)
* '' Lehmannia medioflagellata'' Lupu, 1968
* '' Lehmannia melitensis'' (Lessona & Pollonera, 1882) = ''Ambigolimax melitensis'' according to][
]
References
Limacidae
{{Limacidae-stub