Geomalacus malagensis

Geomalacus malagensis is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Arionidae, the round back slugs.

Distribution

Distribution of Geomalacus malagensis include southern Spain and Gibraltar.^[2]

Description

This slug species is pale beige-greenish to beige-grey, sometimes also yellowish-orange, with blackish narrow lateral bands having clearly marked upper edges and blurry lower edges, running from posterior end to frontal section of mantle, above the pneumostome.^[2] The spape of the slug is elongate, dorso-ventrally flattened (oval in transversal cut).^[2] The head is very short (only 2–3 mm protruding from under the mantle).^[2] Tentacles are brown and long.^[2] Mantle length covers 35% of body.^[2] There are 26 grooves between medial line of dorsum and pneumostome.^[2] Sole is dirty cream, transparent (viscera visible in live slugs), medial section narrower than lateral sections and slightly concave.^[2] Mucus is colourless and thin, also when irritated, sometimes with orange hue.^[2] Mucus secreted onto the ground while crawling breaks into thin threads and coagulates into a unique spider-web like pattern, not seen in Arion species.^[2]

The length of the body is up to 80 × 10.5 mm (preserved 58 × 11 mm).^[2]

Ecology

Geomalacus malagensis is frequent on calcareous soil, in gardens, shrubland and open forests.^[2]

Its seems to feeds on fruits and other soft parts of plants.^[2]

Sexually mature slugs are found in spring and autumn.^[2]

Captured slugs were found infected with nematodes.^[2]

References

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