Parmacella valenciennii
Parmacella valenciennii is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Parmacellidae. DistributionThe distribution of Parmacella valenciennii includes:
DescriptionThe 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] EcologyParmacella 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] ReferencesThis article incorporates public domain text from the reference.[2]
|