''Otoconcha dimidiata'' is a species of small air-breathing
semi-slug
Semi-slugs, also spelled semislugs, are land gastropods whose shells are too small for them to retract into, but not quite vestigial. The shell of some semi-slugs may not be easily visible on casual inspection, because the shell may be covered ...
, a
terrestrial
Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth.
Terrestrial may also refer to:
* Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...
pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family
Charopidae
Charopidae is a taxonomic family of small air-breathing land snails (and semi-slugs such as '' Otoconcha dimidiata''), terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Punctoidea.MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Charopidae Hu ...
. It has a very thin and cap like shell hidden under its skin in the rounded swelling behind the head.
''Otoconcha dimidiata'' is the type species of the genus ''Otoconcha''.
Distribution
This species occurs in both North and South islands of
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
.
Habitat
This semi slug lives in rotting logs where it is rarely seen because of its secretive habits, but it is not rare. It can be found by careful searching by torch light in damp areas of native forest.
Ecology
''Otoconcha dimidiata'' is the preferred prey of the carnivorous land gastropod ''
Schizoglossa novoseelandica''.
[ Murdoch R. C. (1894) "Notes on the variation and habits of ''Schizoglossa novoseelandica''". '' Proceedings of the malacological society']
1
3)
138
References
External links
*
Baker H. B. (1938) "The Endodont genus ''Otochoncha''". 23
page 8991.
* Suter H. (1913). ''Manual of the New Zealand Mollusca''. Wellington, 1120 pp
page 620
* Suter H. (1915). ''Manual of the New Zealand Mollusca. Atlas of plates''. John Mackay, Government printer, Wellington
plate 25 figure 2, 2a.
Charopidae
Gastropods described in 1853
{{Charopidae-stub