Tandonia

Tandonia
A live individual of Tandonia budapestensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Stylommatophora
Family: Milacidae
Genus: Tandonia
Lessona & Pollonera, 1882[1]
Diversity[2]
about 30 species

Tandonia is a genus of air-breathing, keeled, land slugs. These are shell-less terrestrial gastropod mollusks in the family Milacidae.

Distribution

The distribution of the genus Tandonia includes Europe to North Africa and Asia Minor.[2] The largest number of species are in the southern Alps.[2]

Description

The slug's body is elongate, up to 100 mm in length, and usually with almost parallel sides. The posterior par is abruptly narrowed, the keel usually low and is restricted to the last section of the dorsum in some species, reaching the mantle margin in others.[2]

Reproductive system: The penis is usually short, the epiphallus is long. The retractor penis inserts at the boundary between the penis and epiphallus. The vas deferens of specific length opens into the posterior end of the epiphallus. The vaginal accessory glands (usually more than one) are of specific shapes, and are connected by ducts to the vagina or to the point where the vagina enters the atrium. The atrium is small and tubular, with no stimulator inside. Spermatheca are of specific size, the spermathecal duct can be longer or shorter than the spermatheca.[2]

Species

Within the genus Tandonia there are the following 29 species:[3]

References

This article incorporates public domain text from the reference.[2]

  1. ^ Lessona, M.; Pollonera C. (1882). Monografia dei limacidi italiani. Turin: Ermanno Loescher. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.10743.page 54
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Genus summary for Tandonia". AnimalBase, last modified 23 May 2010, accessed 26 August 2010.
  3. ^ "Species in genus Tandonia" [n=29]. AnimalBase, accessed 26 August 2010.