''Deroceras'' is a taxonomic

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of small to medium sized air-breathing land slugs in the family

Agriolimacidae ''Agriolimacidae'' is a family of small and medium-sized land slugs, or shell-less snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks. Distribution Distribution of Limacidae is Holarctic, this include: Nearctic, western Palearctic and eastern Pal ...

Description

Most species reach only 30–35 mm in length (max 45 mm). Coloration varies considerably within and between species but common patterns are pale cream, with or without darker flecks (never stripes), and a more uniform light gray or brown to black-brown. Mucus is usually colourless but in some species includes a white deposit when the slug has been disturbed. No

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

continues from the tail along the back. The mantle is large (up to half the body length), containing a shell plate internally. The

pneumostome The pneumostome or breathing pore is a respiratory opening of the external body anatomy of an air-breathing land slug or land snail. It is a part of the respiratory system of gastropods. It is an opening in the right side of the mantle of a ...

lies in the posterior half of the mantle. Generally external appearance does not reliably distinguish one species from certain others, so species identification requires dissection to reveal the genitalia, unless the local species diversity is known to be low. The taxonomy, anatomy and other aspects of the biology of this genus were reviewed in 2000,Wiktor, A. (2000). Agriolimacidae (Gastropoda: Pulmonata): a systematic monograph. ''Annales Zoologici'' 49: 347-590
abstract
/ref> and the diverse mating behaviors were reviewed in 2007.

Species

In 2000, in the most recent monograph on the genus, Wiktor rejected earlier attempts (including his own) at a subgeneric (''Agriolimax'' Mörch, 1865, ''Plathystimulus'' Wiktor, 1973) classification, because there appeared to be so many convergences and reversals. The only exception was that he split off ''Liolytopelte'' as a subgenus because of its distinctive hard plate within the penis; all other species were included in the subgenus ''Deroceras''. There are at least 123 species in the genus ''Deroceras''. Subgenus ''Deroceras'' Rafinesque, 1820 * '' Deroceras abessinicum'' * '' Deroceras adolphi'' * '' Deroceras afer'' * '' Deroceras agreste'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

, 1758) * '' Deroceras altaicum'' * ''

Deroceras altimirai ''Deroceras'' is a taxonomic genus of small to medium sized air-breathing land slugs in the family Agriolimacidae. Description Most species reach only 30–35 mm in length (max 45 mm). Coloration varies considerably within an ...

'' * '' Deroceras astypalaeensis'' * '' Deroceras bakurianum'' * '' Deroceras barceum'' * '' Deroceras berytensis'' * '' Deroceras bisacchianum'' * '' Deroceras bistimulatum'' * '' Deroceras boeoticum'' * '' Deroceras boettgeri'' * '' Deroceras bulgaricum'' * '' Deroceras cazioti'' * '' Deroceras cecconii'' * '' Deroceras chevallieri'' * '' Deroceras christae'' * '' Deroceras chrysorroyatissensis'' * '' Deroceras concrementosum'' * '' Deroceras cycladicum'' * '' Deroceras dallaii'' * '' Deroceras deckeni'' * '' Deroceras demirtensis'' * '' Deroceras dubium'' * '' Deroceras ercinae'' * '' Deroceras famagustensis'' * '' Deroceras fatrense'' * '' Deroceras gardullanum'' * '' Deroceras gavdosensis'' * '' Deroceras giustianum'' * '' Deroceras glandulosum'' * ''

Deroceras golcheri ''Deroceras'' is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic genus of small to medium sized air-breathing land slugs in the family Agriolimacidae. Description Most species reach only 30–35 mm in length (max 45 mm). Coloration varies cons ...

Deroceras pseudopanormitanum ''Deroceras'' is a taxonomic genus of small to medium sized air-breathing land slugs in the family Agriolimacidae. Description Most species reach only 30–35 mm in length (max 45 mm). Coloration varies considerably within an ...

'' * '' Deroceras rethimnonensis'' * ''

Deroceras reticulatum ''Deroceras reticulatum'', common names the "grey field slug" and "grey garden slug", is a species of small air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Agriolimacidae. This species is an important agricul ...

'' (O. F. Müller, 1774) * '' Deroceras rhodensis'' * '' Deroceras riedelianum'' * '' Deroceras roblesi'' * '' Deroceras rodnae'' * '' Deroceras samium'' * '' Deroceras seriphium'' * '' Deroceras sturanyi'' * '' Deroceras subagreste'' * '' Deroceras tarracense'' * '' Deroceras tauricum'' * '' Deroceras thersites'' * '' Deroceras turcicum'' * '' Deroceras uataderensis'' * '' Deroceras vascoana'' * '' Deroceras zilchi'' Subgenus ''Liolytopelte'' Simroth, 1901 * '' Deroceras bureschi'' * '' Deroceras caucasicum'' * '' Deroceras kandaharensis'' * '' Deroceras moldavicum'' * '' Deroceras occidentalis'' * '' Deroceras trabzonensis''

Relevance to humans

Several species in this genus are recognised as

pests PESTS was an anonymous American activist group formed in 1986 to critique racism, tokenism, and exclusion in the art world. PESTS produced newsletters, posters, and other print material highlighting examples of discrimination in gallery represent ...

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

and

horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

, including ''

'', '' Deroceras invadens'', '' Deroceras agreste'', and '' Deroceras laeve''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q293311 Agriolimacidae Gastropod genera Agricultural pest molluscs Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque