| Bielzia coerulans | |
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| Bielzia coerulans | |
| Conservation status | |
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NE[1]
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura clade Panpulmonata clade Eupulmonata clade Stylommatophora informal group Sigmurethra clade limacoid clade |
| Superfamily: | Limacoidea |
| Family: | Limacidae |
| Subfamily: | Limacinae |
| Genus: | Bielzia Clessin, 1887[2] |
| Species: | B. coerulans |
| Binomial name | |
| Bielzia coerulans M. Bielz, 1851[3] |
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| Synonyms[4] | |
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Bielzia coerulans, commonly known as the Carpathian blue slug or simply the blue slug, is a species of very large land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod in the family Limacidae, the keelback slugs.
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Bielzia coerulans was discovered and described under name Limax coerulans by Austrian-Hungarian malacologist Michael Bielz (1787-1866) in 1851. (His son Eduard Albert Bielz was also malacologist.)
Bielzia coerulans is the only species in the genus Bielzia.[5]
Some authors, for example Russian malacologists,[4] classify genus Bielzia as the only genus (monotypic) within separate family Limacopsidae Gerhardt, 1935.[6][4] There has been also created separate subfamily Bielziinae I. M. Likharev & Wiktor, 1980 for genus Bielzia.
According to the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005) are Limacopsidae and Bielziinae synonyms for Limacinae.[7]
This species is endemic to the Carpathian Mountains in Eastern Europe.
The type locality of Bielzia coerulans is South Carpathians in Romania.[4]
This is a slug which is blue when adult and 100 - 140 mm in length.[11] Slug evenly blue or bluish green (occasionally black) with dark greyish head and tentacles, margins pale yellowish, sole pale yellowish or whitish.[11]
Juveniles are yellowish brown with dark lateral bands.[11]
Reproductive system: Genitalia are without penis.[11] There is only an accessory organ for the copulation.[11]
Bielzia coerulans inhabits deciduous and coniferous forests in mountains, usually at the bottom, or under dead wood logs.[11]
Maturity is in June to July.[11] Copulation occur at the soil.[11] There are 30-80 eggs laid in one clutch.[11] Adults die after egg deposition.[11] Half grown juveniles hibernate.[11] Fully grown slugs appear in May.[11]
This article incorporates public domain text from the reference [11].