''Tandonia nigra'' 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 air-breathing land slug, 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

mollusk 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 e ...

in the family

Milacidae Milacidae is a family of air-breathing, keeled, land slugs. These are shell-less terrestrial gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Parmacelloidea. This family has no subfamilies (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocro ...

Distribution

This slug species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to north

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and south Switzerland:

Monte Generoso Monte Generoso (also known as ''Calvagione'') is a mountain of the Lugano Prealps, located on the border between Switzerland and Italy and between Lake Lugano and Lake Como. The western and southern flanks of the mountain lie in the Swiss cant ...

and Baraghetto peaks, east and west slopes, between Lake Como and Lugano lake. The type locality is the peak of

, a mentioned altitude of 1695 m above sea level. This species is known only from mountains peaks and east- and west- exposed slopes, at 1500–1700 m. It is an

species with a small range. The Swiss habitats are threatened by mass

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

; this species is Critically Endangered in Switzerland.

Description

The slug is basically black, although the mantle is cream with very dense black spots. The

tentacles In zoology, a tentacle is a flexible, mobile, and elongated organ present in some species of animals, most of them invertebrates. In animal anatomy, tentacles usually occur in one or more pairs. Anatomically, the tentacles of animals work mainl ...

are white with black dots, and when they are contracted they appear black. The neck and anterior sides are a dirty cream in color, as is the sole of the foot. The body length of preserved specimens is up to 35 mm; the width of the body of preserved specimens is up to 7 mm.

Reproductive system The reproductive system of an organism, also known as the genital system, is the biological system made up of all the anatomical organs involved in sexual reproduction. Many non-living substances such as fluids, hormones, and pheromones are als ...

: The penis is subdivided in two sections. The epiphallus is shorter and slightly widening at its posterior end. The vas deferens opens slightly asymmetrically. The oviduct is thin; the spermatheca is elongate with a short duct. The vagina is almost as long as the penis, with various accessory glands like short bundles surrounding the section between the oviduct and the vagina. The atrium is tubular, like a prolongation of the penis. 31MonteGeneroso

Ecology

This slug seems to be active at night. It is presumably to be

herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpar ...

. Copulation occurs in July. Adults, semiadults and juveniles were observed simultaneously from May to October. The life cycle must take at least 2 years.

References

This article incorporates public domain text from the reference."Species summary for ''Tandonia nigra''"

AnimalBase AnimalBase is a project brought to life in 2004 and is maintained by the University of Göttingen, Germany. The goal of the AnimalBase project is to digitize early zoological literature, provide copyright-free open access to zoological works, and pr ...

, last modified 22 December 2008, accessed 26 August 2010.

External links

Photo of ''Tandonia nigra''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5503927 Milacidae Gastropods described in 1894 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot