Atopos
| Atopos | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Atopos slug attacking Plectostoma concinnum by shell-drilling. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): |
clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura |
| Superfamily: | Veronicelloidea |
| Family: | Rathouisiidae |
| Genus: |
Atopos Simroth, 1891 |
| Diversity | |
| 10 species | |
clade Euthyneura
clade Panpulmonata
clade Eupulmonata
clade Systellommatophora
Atopos is a genus of carnivorous air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Rathouisiidae.
Species within the genus Atopos include:
Synonyms:
The predatory carnivorous slugs in the genus Atopos are found in peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, New Guinea, northeast Australia and, recently, Singapore.
Bornean Atopos specialising in Opisthostoma are known to tailor their approach to the size of the prey. They hold small snails with the shells aperture-upward with the front of its foot and eat their way down. Larger ones scrape away the shell to allow access through the spire. This behaviour is thought to drive the evolution of shell ornamentation in Opisthostoma.
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Wikipedia