Testacella scutulum

Testacella scutulum is an air-breathing, carnivorous land slug, a terrestrial gastropod mollusk in the family Testacellidae, the shelled slugs.

Testacella scutulum
Testscella scutulum from a garden in Scarborough, Yorkshire, England.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Order: Stylommatophora
Informal group: Sigmurethra
Family: Testacellidae
Genus: Testacella
Species:
T. scutulum
Binomial name
Testacella scutulum

Like other species in the genus, this European slug eats earthworms, spends most of its life underground, and is rarely seen.

Distribution

This species is known to occur in a number of European countries and islands including:

Reproductive system of Testacella scutulum:
pr - penial retractor muscle;
pe - penis;
at - atrium;
ov - oviduct;
bc - bursa copulatrix.

Description

This slug, like others in the family, has a small shell which is situated towards the rear of the animal. The specific name means "shield", a reference to the shape of the shell.

Same semislug from Scarborough. The dorsal grooves joined at the anterior margin of the shell.

The animal is yellow with black or brown spots. The foot fringe and sole are usually orange. Thelateral grooves join before reaching their common origin at the front edge of themantle. The shell is narrower than in Testacella haliotidea and nearly triangular; flattened, sometimes concave, outer margin of the aperture sharply truncate and without angle at the columella. Size:Animal 8–12 cm long, shell 6-7 (length) x 3.5-4.5 (width) mm [3]

References
  1. Testacella scutulum AnimalBase, accessed 22 December 2008.
  2. Liberto F., Renda W., Colomba M.S., Giglio S. & Sparacio I. (2011). "New records of Testacella scutulum Sowerby, 1821 (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Testacellidae) from Southern Italy and Sicily". Biodiversity Journal 2: 27-34. PDF, avi.
  3. AnimalBase
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