Laevicaulis alte
| Tropical leatherleaf | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Laevicaulis alte | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): |
clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura |
| Superfamily: | Veronicelloidea |
| Family: | Veronicellidae |
| Genus: | Laevicaulis |
| Species: | L. alte |
| Binomial name | |
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Laevicaulis alte (Férussac, 1822) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Vaginula alte Férussac, 1821 |
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clade Euthyneura
clade Panpulmonata
clade Eupulmonata
clade Systellommatophora
Vaginula alte Férussac, 1821
Vaginulus alte Férussac, 1821
The tropical leatherleaf, scientific name Laevicaulis alte, is a species of tropical land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Veronicellidae, the leatherleaf slugs.
Laevicaulis alte is a round, dark-coloured slug with no shell, 7 or 8 cm long. Its skin is slightly tuberculated. The central keel is beige in colour.
This slug has a unique, very narrow foot; juvenile specimens have a foot 1 mm wide and adult specimens have a foot that is only 4 or 5 mm wide.
The tentacles are small, 2 or 3 mm long, and they are only rarely extended beyond the edge of the mantle.
This slug is an intermediate host for Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the rat lungworm, a round worm, the most common cause of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis.
This slug is eaten by the frog Rana tigrina.
This species is probably indigenous to Africa (western Africa and eastern Africa).
It has been introduced and become an invasive species in the following areas:
This species is already established in the USA, and is considered to represent a potentially serious threat as a pest, an invasive species which could negatively affect agriculture, natural ecosystems, human health or commerce. Therefore it has been suggested that this species be given top national quarantine significance in the USA.
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Wikipedia