''Limax'' 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 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

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth, as opposed to extraterrestrial. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on o ...

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 ...

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 generic name ''Limax'' literally means "slug". Some species, such as the leopard slug (''L. maximus''), are beneficial for the garden. The genus ''Limax'' ''

sensu stricto ''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 c ...

'' is probably

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

.Klee, B. 200
Towards a phylogeny of ''Limax'' (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora)''.
''The Malacologist''. Molluscan Forum 2006.

Distribution

This genus is native to

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, but at least one species (''L. maximus'') has been introduced into

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

Species

The genus ''Limax'' includes at least 33 species:Species in genus ''Limax''
AnimalBase. Accessed 5 May 2009. * ''

Limax aeolianus ''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 for ...

'' Giusti, 1973 * ''

Limax albipes ''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 for ...

'' Dumont & Mortillet, 1853 * ''

Limax amaliae ''Limax amaliae'' is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Limacidae Limacidae, also known by their common name the keelback slugs, are a taxonomic family of medium-sized to very large, a ...

'' Bettoni, 1870 * ''

Limax bielzii ''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 for ...

'' Seibert, 1873 * ''

Limax brandstetteri ''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 for ...

'' Falkner, 2008Falkner, G. (2008)
''Limax (Limax) brandstetteri'' n. sp. – ein neuer Hochgebirgsschnegel aus den Abruzzen (Gastropoda: Limacidae). ''Limax (Limax) brandstetteri'' n. sp. – a new high mountain slug from the Abruzzi Mountains (Gastropoda: Limacidae).
''

Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde A Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

'', Neue Serie. 1: 133-142. * ''

Limax camerani ''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 for ...

'' Lessona & Pollonera, 1882 * ''

Limax canapicianus ''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 for ...

'' Pollonera, 1885 * ''

Limax cephalonicus ''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 for ...

'' Simroth, 1886 * ''

Limax ciminensis ''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 for ...

'' Pollonera, 1890 * ''

Limax cinereoniger ''Limax cinereoniger'', the ash-black slug is a large species of air-breathing land slug in the terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc family Limacidae, the keelback slugs. This is the largest land slug species in the world.< ...

'' Wolf, 1803 (syn. ''Limax alpinus'' Férussac, 1822)Nitz, B., et al. (2009). Towards a new standard in slug species descriptions: the case of ''Limax sarnensis'' Heim & Nitz n. sp. (Pulmonata: Limacidae) from the Western Central Alps. ''

Journal of Molluscan Studies The ''Journal of Molluscan Studies'' is the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the Malacological Society of London, covering research in malacology.

'' 75(3): 279-294. . * ''

Limax conemenosi ''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 for ...

'' Böttger, 1882 * ''

Limax corsicus ''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 for ...

'' Moquin-Tandon, 1855 * ''

Limax dacampi ''Limax dacampi'' (by other authors ''Limax dacampoi'') is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Limacidae, the keelback slugs. Etymology Luigi Menegazzi named this species in honor of the ...

'' Menegazzi, 1854 ** ''Limax dacampi dacampi'' Menegazzi, 1855 * ''

Limax dobrogicus ''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 ...

'' Grossu & Lupu, 1960 *'' Limax doriae'' Bourguignat, 1861 * '' Limax engadinensis'' Heynemann, 1863 * '' Limax erythrus'' Bourguignat, 1864 * '' Limax gerhardti'' Niethammer, 1937 * '' Limax giovannellae'' Falkner & Niederhöfer, 2008 * '' Limax giustii'' Falkner & Nitz, 2010 * '' Limax graciadeii'' Gerhardt, 1940 * ''

Limax graecus ''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 for ...

'' Simroth, 1889 * '' Limax granosus'' Bérenguier, 1900 * '' Limax hemmeni'' Rähle, 1983 * ''

Limax ianninii ''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 for ...

'' Giusti, 1973 * '' Limax ilvensis'' Falkner & Nitz, 2010 * ''

Limax lachensis ''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 for ...

'' Bérenguier, 1900 * '' Limax luctuosus'' Moquin-Tandon, 1855 * ''

Limax maximus ''Limax maximus'' (literally, "biggest slug"), known by the common names great grey slug and leopard slug, is a species of slug in the family Limacidae, the keeled slugs.Marshall, B. (2014). Limax maximus Linnaeus, 1758. Accessed through: World ...

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the starting point of modern zoologic ...

- great grey slug * '' Limax millipunctatus'' Pini, 1885 * '' Limax monolineatus'' Bettoni, 1870 * ''

Limax monregalensis ''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 for ...

'' Lessona & Pollonera, 1882 * ''

Limax pironae ''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 for ...

'' Pini, 1876 * ''

Limax polipunctatus ''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 for ...

'' Pollonera, 1888 * ''

Limax punctulatus ''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 for ...

'' Sordelli, 1871 * ''

Limax redii ''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 for ...

'' Gerhardt, 1933 * ''

Limax samensis ''Limax'' is a genus of air-breathing land slugs in the terrestrial molluscs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk family Limacidae. The generic name ''Limax'' literally means "slug". Some species, such as the Limax maximus, leopard slug (' ...

'' Heim & Nitz, 2009 * '' Limax squamosus'' Bérenguier, 1900 * ''

Limax strobeli ''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 for ...

'' Pini, 1876 * ''

Limax subalpinus ''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 for ...

'' Lessona, 1880 * ''

Limax tschapecki ''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 for ...

'' Simroth, 1886 * '' Limax veronensis'' Lessona & Pollonera, 1882 * ''

Limax vizzavonensis ''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 for ...

'' Falkner & Nitz, 2010 * ''

Limax wohlberedti ''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 for ...

'' Simroth, 1900 * ''

Limax wolterstorffi ''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 for ...

'' Simroth, 1900 * '' Limax zilchi'' Grossu & Lupu, 1960

Subgenus ''Limacus'' (more often today treated as its own genus)

* ''Limax ecarinatus'' Boettger, 1881: synonym of ''

Limacus maculatus ''Limacus maculatus'', the green cellar slug or Irish yellow slug, is a species of slug native to the Caucasus and Black Sea coast. It has also been introduced to a number of northern European countries. In its introduced range the species is oft ...

'' (Kaleniczenko, 1851) * ''Limax flavus'' Linnaeus, 1758 yellow garden slug, tawny garden slug: synonym of ''

Limacus flavus ''Limacus flavus'', known commonly as the cellar slug, the yellow slug, or the tawny garden slug, is a medium to large species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Limacidae.MolluscaBase (2019). M ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms

* ''Limax marginatus'' Müller, 1774 is a synonym for ''

Lehmannia marginata ''Lehmannia marginata'' is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Limacidae. Sometimes classified in the genus ''Limax'', the species is distinct in its ecology, and its nearly transparent b ...

'' (Müller, 1774) * ''Limax valentianus'' Férussac, 1822 is a synonym for ''

Ambigolimax valentianus ''Ambigolimax valentianus'' (also known as ''Lehmannia valentiana'') is a species of terrestrial slug, a pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Limacidae. It has spread very widely around the world, especially in greenhouses, where it can be ...

'' (Férussac, 1822) * ''Limax nyctelius'' Bourguignat, 1861 is now placed in the genus '' Letourneuxia'' but the name has been used for ''

Lehmannia carpatica ''Lehmannia carpatica'' is a species of air-breathing land slug, a Terrestrial molluscs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod Mollusca, mollusc in the family Limacidae. Taxonomy When Grossu & Lupu (1963) first noted this species, in Romania, its lon ...

'' (Bourguignat, 1861) and ''

Ambigolimax waterstoni ''Ambigolimax waterstoni'' is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Limacidae. Taxonomy This is one of the several species formerly confused under the name ''Limax nyctelius'' and later ' ...

'' Hutchinson, Reise & Schlitt, 2022

References

{{Authority control Limacidae Gastropod genera Agricultural pest molluscs Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus