''Staala gwaii'', the Haida Gwaii slug, is a species of

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

Arionidae Arionidae, common name the "roundback slugs" or "round back slugs" are a taxonomic family of air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Arionoidea. Distribution The distribution of this family of slug ...

. It is the only species in the genus ''Staala''. MolluscaBase (2019). MolluscaBase. Staala gwaii Ovaska, Chichester & Sopuck, 2010. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1351666 on 2019-12-05

Distribution

Scientists catalogued the Haida Gwaii slug in 2003 in Haida Gwaii. It was thereafter noted on Brooks Peninsula on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. These areas were both refugia or nearby refugia during the

Late Glacial Maximum The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), also referred to as the Late Glacial Maximum, was the most recent time during the Last Glacial Period that ice sheets were at their greatest extent. Ice sheets covered much of Northern North America, Northern Eur ...

. Therefore they harbour several Ice Age relicts, of which ''Staala gwaii'' is just one. This camelback slug is a poor disperser, and has not expanded beyond its range.

Description

The slug grows to 1-2 cm long. Its distinctive mantle features a pronounced hump, and small, black-tipped projections or papillae cover its entire body. It is jet black to grey or tan in colour.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q59264161 Arionidae Monotypic gastropod genera Gastropods described in 2010 Endemic fauna of Canada