''Schizoglossa'',

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

the Paua slugs, is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of medium-sized to large

predatory Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

, air-breathing, 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 ...

carnivorous A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other sof ...

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 ...

mollusc 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 esti ...

s in the family Rhytididae. They are currently classified by the New Zealand Department of Conservation as Nationally Vulnerable.

Distribution

The genus is endemic to the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

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 ...

(including the Great Barrier Island),

Species and subspecies

Species and subspecies within the genus ''Schizoglossa'' include:New Zealand Mollusca
/ref> * ''

Schizoglossa gigantea ''Schizoglossa gigantea'' is a species of large predatory, air-breathing, land slug; a carnivorous terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Rhytididae. This species is endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. It was first disco ...

Powell Powell may refer to: People * Powell (surname) * Powell (given name) * Powell baronets, several baronetcies *Colonel Powell (disambiguation), several military officers *General Powell (disambiguation), several military leaders *Governor Powell (di ...

, 1930 * ''

Schizoglossa major ''Schizoglossa major'' was a species of large predatory, air-breathing, land slug, a carnivorous terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Rhytididae. This species has only been found as a subfossil A fossil (from Classical ...

, 1938 - subfossil only *''

Schizoglossa novoseelandica ''Schizoglossa novoseelandica'' is a predatory species of air-breathing land slug or semi-slug, a Terrestrial animal, terrestrial gastropod mollusc in the family (biology), family Rhytididae. It is the type species of the genus ''Schizoglossa'' a ...

'' ( Pfeiffer, 1862) ** ''Schizoglossa novoseelandica novoseelandica'' ( Pfeiffer, 1862) ** ''Schizoglossa novoseelandica barrierensis''

, 1949 * ''

Schizoglossa worthyae ''Schizoglossa worthyae'', is a species of large predatory, air-breathing, land slug, a carnivorous terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of ...

, 1949

Description

The shell is small, rudimentary, auriform (ear-shaped) and is situated far back on the animal. The shell is incapable of containing the body, and is reduced to the function of a shield for the lungs and heart. The shell is paucispiral, and is

nacre Nacre ( , ), also known as mother of pearl, is an organicinorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer; it is also the material of which pearls are composed. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent. Nacre is f ...

ous within. The columella is excavated into a pit for the reception of the shell-muscle. The animal has no rachidian teeth.

Ecology

''Schizoglossa'' has eggs with a calcareous surface which lacks cuticle. O'Connor A. C. (June) 1945. ''Notes on the Eggs of New Zealand Paryphantidae, With Description of a New Subgenus.'' Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand, volume 5, 1945-46, page
54
57.

References

This article incorporates public domain text from reference.

Distribution

Species and subspecies

Description

Ecology

References

Further reading