Tropical leatherleaf

Taxobox
name = Tropical leatherleaf

---

image_width = 250px
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Mollusca
classis = Gastropoda
ordo = Pulmonata
subordo = Systellommatophora
familia = Veronicellidae
genus = "Laevicaulis"
species = "L. alte"
binomial = "Laevicaulis alte"
binomial_authority = (Férussac, 1822)
synonyms ="Vaginulus alte" Ferussac, 1821

The tropical leatherleaf, "Laevicaulis alte", is a species of tropical slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk. This slug thrives in arid biotopes.

Description

"Laevicaulis alte" is a round, dark-coloured slug without a shell, 7 or 8 cm long. Its skin is slightly tuberculated. The central keel is beige in colour. This slug has a unique, very narrow foot; juvenile specimens have a foot 1 mm wide and adult specimens have feet 4 or 5 mm in width. The tentacles are small, 2 or 3 mm long, and they are only rarely obtruded beyond the edge of the mantle.

Parasites

Parasites:
* "Angiostrongylus cantonensis" [http://homepage.sunrise.ch/mysunrise/choegger/Slugs/Antagonists.html]

Predators

The frog "Rana tigrina" [http://homepage.sunrise.ch/mysunrise/choegger/Slugs/Antagonists.html]

Distribution

* indigenous probably in Africa (western Africa and eastern Africa).
* non-indigenous, but introduced and invasive in:
** southern Asia
** China (Taiwan)
** United States (Hawaii) ( [http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Laevicaulis+alte] )
** islands in the Indian Ocean
** Australia (since 1889)
** Samoa
** ...

It is an invasive species. [http://www.invasive.org/browse/subimages.cfm?sub=10951] .

Biotope:
* Dry biotopes. Lower altitude mostly.Food items in captivity:
* leaves of Dandelion
* tomatoes - it nibbles skin at first and the pulp later
* cucumbers
* apples
* spinach
* in need: dill, leaves of girasole, ...

Food sources in nature:
* unknown

Does not eat:
* grapes

Life:
* Hatches from eggs.
* Has several adaptations for dry conditions: rounded shape with as small as possible surface area, narrow foot to reduce evaporation. Juvenile specimens search for food nearly always at night and stay buried in the soil during the day. Larger specimens are active during the day sometimes. This slug can grow up from 0.5 cm to approximately 4 cm in length in 7 months.

Recommended literature

* [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Search&db=PubMed&term=Laevicaulis+alte&tool=QuerySuggestion articles at PubMed]

References

* [http://www.itis.usda.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=78771 profile at ITIS]
* [http://www.ento.csiro.au/aicn/system/c_4293.htm Distribution in Australia]
* [http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Laevicaulis+alte Distribution in United States]
* [http://shell.sinica.edu.tw/english/shellpic_T.php?id=1863&science=Vaginulus%20alte in English] and [http://shell.sinica.edu.tw/chinese/shellpic_T.php?id=1863&science=Vaginulus%20alte in Chinese] Images:
* [http://munakobu.hp.infoseek.co.jp/asihidatoha.html drawing of ventral part of body] , [http://munakobu.hp.infoseek.co.jp/ photo] (in Japanese)
* [http://www2.bishopmuseum.org/PBS/samoasnail/idguide.asp?taxID=1946249400 "Laevicaulis alte"] at [http://www2.bishopmuseum.org/PBS/samoasnail/ Samoan Snail Project]
* [http://home.att.ne.jp/banana/yamoyo/ashdn-1.htm Photo] (Japanese)
* [http://seastar.cocolog-nifty.com/1st/cat286670/] , [http://seastar.cocolog-nifty.com/1st/2004/06/post_16.html] (Japanese)
* [http://www16.ocn.ne.jp/~bunbukut/n...asihidanamekuzi.htm Photo] (Japanese)

Genome:
* [http://www.psb.ugent.be/rRNA/ssu/data/LaealtX9.EAN sequences 18S rRNA]

* vernacular names: [http://www.biolib.cz/cz/taxonnames/id132895] :
** 皺足蛞蝓 (Chinese)
** アシヒダナメクジ (Japanese)