Prophysaon
Prophysaon andersoni
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Order: Stylommatophora
Infraorder: Arionoidei
Superfamily: Arionoidea
Family: Ariolimacidae
Genus: Prophysaon
Bland & W. G. Binney, 1873[1]
Synonyms
  • Limacarion J.G. Cooper, 1879
  • Phenacarion Cockerell, 1890
  • Prophysaon (Mimetarion) Pilsbry, 1948· accepted, alternate representation
  • Prophysaon (Prophysaon) Bland & W.G. Binney, 1873· accepted, alternate representation

Prophysaon, common name taildropper slugs, is a genus of air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Ariolimacidae.[2]

These slugs can self-amputate (autotomy) a portion of their tail.[3] This autotomy has been observed in the species Prophysaon andersoni.[4]

Distribution

This genus of slugs occurs in North America, including California and Oregon.

Species

Species in the genus Prophysaon include 10 species (9 according to Turgeon et al. 1998[5][6] plus one known undescribed species[3]):

Species brought into synonymy

References

  1. ^ Bland, Thomas; Binney, W. G. (1873). "On Prophysaon, a New Pulmonate Mollusk, on Ariolimax, on Helix Lymnuchus and Other Species". Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York. 10: 293.
  2. ^ MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Prophysaon Bland & W.G. Binney, 1873. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=995729 on 2021-08-26
  3. ^ a b c Rory J. Mc Donnel, Timothy D. Paine & Michael J. Gormally. 2009. Slugs: A Guide to the Invasive and Native Fauna of California Archived 2011-07-04 at the Wayback Machine. 21 pp., ISBN 978-1-60107-564-2. page 9
  4. ^ Hand, C., and W.M. Ingram. 1950. Natural history observations on Prophysaon andersoni (J.G. Cooper) with special reference to amputation. Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences 49: 15-28.
  5. ^ Thomas E. Burke. MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TERRESTRIAL MOLLUSK SPECIES Prophysaon coeruleum, Blue-Gray Taildropper & Prophysaon dubium, Papillose Taildropper http://www.blm.gov/or/plans/surveyandmanage/MR/TM4Species/2000-015_3.pdf
  6. ^ ITIS accessed 17 January 2009.
  7. ^ Roth B. & Sadeghian P. S. 2006. Checklist of the Land Snails and Slugs of California. Contributions in Science 3. Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, California. 82 pp.

External links

Taxon identifiers
Authority control databases: National
Category