Parmacella valenciennii
| Parmacella valenciennii | |
|---|---|
| |
| A live individual of Parmacella valenciennii, head end towards the right | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Stylommatophora |
| Family: | Parmacellidae |
| Genus: | Parmacella |
| Species: | P. valenciennii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Parmacella valenciennii | |
Parmacella valenciennii is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Parmacellidae.
Distribution
[edit]The distribution of Parmacella valenciennii includes:
- Southern Portugal (south of Lisboa),[2] It is very abundant in Alentejo.[2]
- Spain[2]
- Isolated area(s) in southern France[2]
Description
[edit]The animal is brownish red to brownish olive, with black bands on the mantle.[2] Adult specimens are lighter.[2] The body is sharply keeled in the posterior section.[2] The mantle length in young animals is about 3/4 of the body length.[2] The mantle is rounded in the anterior part and pointed in posterior part.[2] The animal is up to 100 mm long, usually 70–80 mm long and 20 mm in width.[2]
The shell is yellow, triangular, fragile and flat, with 1.5 whorls.[2] The length of the shell is 15 mm, 9 mm in width and 2–3 mm high.[2]
Parmacella valenciennii differs anatomically from all other Parmacella species by a single, characteristically horn-shaped and almost straight accessory atrial appendix.[2]
Ecology
[edit]Parmacella valenciennii lives in stony open habitats, preferring shady and humid sites between plants and stones.[2] The animals move slowly.[2]
There is a high abundance of these animals in the spring;[2] the animals were so abundant that they were formerly used as pig food in southern Portugal.[2]
References
[edit]This article incorporates public domain text from the reference.[2]
- ^ (in French) Webb P. B. & Vanbeneden P. J. (1836). "Notice sur les mollusques du genre Parmacella de Cuvier, et description d'une nouvelle espèce de ce genre". Magasin de Zoologie 6(Cl. V Pl. 75 et 76): 1-12, Pl. 75-76. Paris.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Species summary for Parmacella valenciennii". AnimalBase, accessed 1 September 2010.