Athoracophoridae

Taxobox
name = Athoracophoridae
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Mollusca
classis = Gastropoda
subclassis = Orthogastropoda
superordo = Heterobranchia
ordo = Pulmonata
subordo = Eupulmonata
infraordo = Stylommatophora
subinfraorder = Sigmurethra
superfamilia = Athoracophoroidea
familia = Athoracophoridae
familia_authority = P. Fischer, 1883
subdivision_ranks = Genera and species
subdivision = See text

Athoracophoridae, common name the leaf-veined slugs, are a family of air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the infraorder Stylommatophora, the stalk-eyed snails and slugs. Many of the species have an attractive pattern on their dorsal surface which resembles the veins in a leaf, hence the common name.

Leaf-veined slugs live on the various land masses and islands in the south-west Pacific area.

Distribution

Species in this family are found in eastern Australia, New Zealand including its sub-Antarctic islands, as well as on the Melanesian islands north to New Caledonia and New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

Habitat

Members of this family are found in damp situations in forests, mountain tussock, and inside the leaf sheaths of nikau palms or flax bushes.

Description

There is a vestigial internal shell in the form of numerous small calcareous particles. These slugs may be distinguished from all other land slugs by the "leaf veins" on their dorsal surface, and the two, not four, tentacles.

Genera and species within the Athoracophoridae

* "Aneitea"
** "Aneitea sarasini"
* "Athoracophorus" Gould, 1852
** "Athoracophorus bitentaculatus" (Quoy and Gaimard, 1832)
** "Athoracophorus maculosus" Burton, 1963
** "Athoracophorus suteri" Burton, 1963
* "Palliopodex" Burton, 1863
** "Palliopodex verrucosus" (Simroth, 1889)
* "Pseudaneitea" Cockerell, 1891
** "Pseudaneitea aspera" Burton, 1963
** "Pseudaneitea campbellensis" Burton, 1963
** "Pseudaneitea dendyi" (Suter, 1897)
** "Pseudaneitea gigantea" (Suter, 1909)
** "Pseudaneitea gravisulca" Burton, 1963
** "Pseudaneitea huttoni" (Suter, 1909)
** "Pseudaneitea johnsi" Burton, 1963
** "Pseudaneitea maculata" Burton, 1963
** "Pseudaneitea multistriata" Burton, 1963
** "Pseudaneitea pallida" Climo, 1973
** "Pseudaneitea papillata" (Hutton, 1879)
** "Pseudaneitea powelli" Burton, 1963
** "Pseudaneitea ramsayi" Climo, 1973
** "Pseudaneitea schauinslandi" (Plate, 1897)
** "Pseudaneitea simrothi" (Suter, 1896)
** "Pseudaneitea sorenseni" Powell, 1955
* "Reflectopallium" Burton, 1863
** "Reflectopallium delli" Burton, 1963
** "Reflectopallium marmoratum" (Simroth, 1889)
** "Reflectopallium papillatum" Burton, 1963
** "Reflectopallium pseudophyllum" Burton, 1963
* "Triboniophorus"
** "Triboniophorus graeffei"

References

Books

* Barker, Gary Michael, 2001. "The biology of terrestrial molluscs". CABI publishing, New York, New York.
* Powell A. W. B., "New Zealand Mollusca", William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1

External links

* [http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/abrs/fauna/tree.pl?pstrVol=PULMONATA;pintTaxa=2441;pintMode=1 Australian Government]
* [http://research.amnh.org/invertzoo/types_db/list_types.php?taxa_id=8889 AMNH]