''Eleutherocaulis haroldi'', known as Purcell's hunter slug or the caterpillar slug, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of tropical land

slug Slug, or land slug, is a common name for any apparently shell-less terrestrial gastropod mollusc. The word ''slug'' is also often used as part of the common name of any gastropod mollusc that has no shell, a very reduced shell, or only a smal ...

in the family

Veronicellidae The Veronicellidae, also known by their common name the leatherleaf slugs, are a family of pulmonate terrestrial slugs. The herbivorous molluscs occur mainly in the tropical and subtropical areas of America, Asia and Africa. They act as intermed ...

, the leatherleaf slugs. It was first formally named ''Laevicaulis haroldi'' in 1980.

Distribution

''Eleutherocaulis haroldi'' is native to South Africa.

Conservation status

In its home range in South Africa, ''Eleutherocaulis haroldi'' is endangered; it is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

.. It has been introduced accidentally in India and is becoming an invasive pest. The species was first reported feeding and causing damage to

Mulberry ''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of diverse species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 identif ...

plants in Maharashtra. It is speculated to have reached India through various airports and international trade.

References

Endemic molluscs of South Africa Veronicellidae Gastropods described in 1980 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Veronicellidae-stub