''Atopos'' is a genus of carnivorous air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial

pulmonate Pulmonata or pulmonates, is an informal group (previously an order, and before that a subclass) of snails and slugs characterized by the ability to breathe air, by virtue of having a pallial lung instead of a gill, or gills. The group includ ...

gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...

s in the family

Rathouisiidae Rathouisiidae is a family of carnivorous air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Veronicelloidea, the leatherleaf slugs and their allies. This family has no subfamilies according to the ''Taxonomy of ...

Species

Species within the genus ''Atopos'' include: * ''Atopos aborense'' (Ghosh, 1913) *''

Atopos australis ''Atopos'' is a genus of carnivorous air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Rathouisiidae. Species Species within the genus ''Atopos'' include: * ''Atopos aborense'' (Ghosh, 1913) *'' Atopos australis' ...

'' Heynemann, 1876 *''Atopos cristagalli'' P. Sarasin & F. Sarasin, 1899 *''Atopos galeatus'' Simroth, 1920 *''Atopos harmeri'' Collinge, 1902 * '' Atopos kempii'' Ghose, 1913Liew T.-S. & Schilthuizen M. (2014). "Association between shell morphology of micro-land snails (genus ''Plectostoma'') and their predator’s predatory behaviour". ''PeerJ'' 2: e329. . *''Atopos leuckarti'' Simroth, 1891 * '' Atopos laidlawi'' Collinge, 1902 * '' Atopos maximus'' Collinge 1903 * '' Atopos ouwensi'' Collinge, 1908 * '' Atopos prismatica'' Tapparone-Canefri, 1883 *''Atopos pristis'' P. Sarasin & F. Sarasin, 1899 * ''

Atopos punctata ''Atopos'' is a genus of carnivorous air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Rathouisiidae. Species Species within the genus ''Atopos'' include: * ''Atopos aborense'' (Ghosh, 1913) *''Atopos australis'' ...

'' Collinge, 1902 * ''

Atopos rugosus ''Atopos'' is a genus of carnivorous air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Rathouisiidae. Species Species within the genus ''Atopos'' include: * ''Atopos aborense'' (Ghosh, 1913) *''Atopos australis'' ...

'' Collinge, 1902 *''Atopos sanguinolentus'' Ghosh, 1912 * ''

Atopos sarasini ''Atopos'' is a genus of carnivorous air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Rathouisiidae. Species Species within the genus ''Atopos'' include: * ''Atopos aborense'' (Ghosh, 1913) *''Atopos australis'' ...

'' Collinge 1902 Laidlaw F. F. (1940). "Notes on some specimens of the genus ''Atopos'' (Mollusca Pulmonata) with microphotographs illustrating points in the anatomy of the genus". '' The Bulletin of the Raffles Museum'' 16: 121-132
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. *''Atopos schildii'' Babor, 1900 *''Atopos scutulatus'' P. Sarasin & F. Sarasin, 1899 * ''

Atopos semperi ''Atopos'' is a genus of carnivorous air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Rathouisiidae. Species Species within the genus ''Atopos'' include: * ''Atopos aborense'' (Ghosh, 1913) *''Atopos australis'' ...

'' Simroth, 1891 *''Atopos simrothi'' P. Sarasin & F. Sarasin, 1899 *''Atopos smithi'' (Collinge, 1902) *''Atopos strubelli'' Simroth, 1891 *''Atopos tourannensis'' (Eydoux & Souleyet, 1852) Synonyms: * ''Atopos leonina'' (Heude, 1882) is a synonym of '' Rathouisia leonina'' Heude, 1882

Distribution

The predatory carnivorous slugs in the genus ''Atopos'' are found in peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, New Guinea, northeast Australia and, recently, Singapore.

Feeding habits

Bornean ''Atopos'' specialising in ''

Opisthostoma ''Opisthostoma'' is a genus of minute land snails with opercula, terrestrial gastropod mollusks or micromollusks in the family Diplommatinidae. Species Species in the genus ''Opisthostoma'' include: ''Opisthostoma'' sensu stricto ;Synonyms: ...

'' are known to tailor their approach to the size of the prey. They hold small snails with the shells aperture-upward with the front of its foot and eat their way down. Larger ones scrape away the shell to allow access through the spire. This behaviour is thought to drive the evolution of shell ornamentation in ''Opisthostoma''.Tan S. K. & Chan S-Y. (2009). "New records of predatory slugs from Singapore with notes on their feeding behaviour". ''Nature in Singapore'' 2: 1-7
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References

External links

photo of predating by ''Atopos''
(figure b) {{Taxonbar, from=Q3693707