Deroceras praecox
| Deroceras praecox | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Stylommatophora |
| Family: | Agriolimacidae |
| Genus: | Deroceras |
| Species: | D. praecox |
| Binomial name | |
| Deroceras praecox Wiktor, 1966 | |
Deroceras praecox is a species of small air-breathing land slug, a pulmonate gastropod in the family Agriolimacidae.[2]
Taxonomy
Wiktor's original description of D. praecox in 1966 distinguished two forms on the basis of their genitalia.[3] Later, one of the forms of D. praecox was found to be synonymous with Deroceras rodnae,[4] described by Grossu and Lupu in 1965.[5] Deroceras praecox now refers to the other form, with a spiral end to its penis, which occupies a distinct range in the Sudeten Mountains and neighboring areas. It remains debatable whether D. praecox might be better viewed as a subspecies of D. rodnae.[6] Differences in mating behaviour reported between D. praecox and D. rodnae[7] have turned out to refer to differences between D. praecox and a more distant species, Deroceras juranum.[8]
Description
The slug's body is usually snowy white or off-white mottled with grey.[2] The head and tentacles are brownish. Deroceras praecox may co-occur with externally indistinguishable species such as D. turcicum, with different species at the same site sharing color patterns.[9] Deroceras praecox differs from D. rodnae in having a spiral pocket at the end of its penis.[6]
Distribution
This species inhabits humid areas in Eastern European woodlands, often near bodies of water. It is listed in the IUCN Red List, and is evaluated as a Least-concern species (LC).[1]
It occurs in the Czech Republic, where it is evaluated as near threatened (NT),[10] Poland, and Slovakia, with a range enveloped inside that of D. rodnae.[2] Hybrid zones between these two taxa are known in Poland and Slovakia.[6]
A closely related form of uncertain taxonomic status, which may be conspecific with D. praecox, occurs in the uplands south of Dresden, Germany.[11]
References
- 1 2 Kappes, H. (2017). "Deroceras praecox". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017 e.T170696A85576515. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T170696A85576515.en. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 Wiktor 2000, p. 502.
- ↑ Wiktor 1966.
- ↑ Wiktor 1973.
- ↑ Grossu & Lupu 1965.
- 1 2 3 Hutchinson & Reise 2009, p. 184.
- ↑ Reise 1995.
- ↑ Hutchinson & Reise 2009.
- ↑ Reise & Hutchinson 2001, p. 65–66.
- ↑ Juřičková L.; Horsák M.; Beran L. (2001). "Check-list of the molluscs (Mollusca) of the Czech Republic". Acta Soc. Zool. Bohem. 65: 25–40.
- ↑ Hutchinson & Reise 2009, p. 198.
Works cited
- Grossu, A.; Lupu, D. (1965). "Espèces nouvelles du genre Deroceras (Gastropoda, Limacidae) en Roumainie". Travaux du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle "Grigore Antipa". 5: 25–31.
- Hutchinson, J.M.C.; Reise, H. (2009). "Mating behaviour clarifies the taxonomy of slug species defined by genital anatomy: the Deroceras rodnae complex in the Sächsische Schweiz and elsewhere" (PDF). Mollusca. 27: 183–200. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-08.
- Reise, H. (1995). "Mating behaviour of Deroceras rodnae Grossu & Lupu, 1965 and D. praecox Wiktor, 1996 (Pulmonata: Agriolimacidae)". Journal of Molluscan Studies. 61 (3): 325–330. doi:10.1093/mollus/61.3.325.
- Reise, H.; Hutchinson, J.M.C. (2001). "Morphological variation in terrestrial slug Deroceras turcicum (Simroth, 1894), and a northern extension of its range in Central Europe". Folia Malacologica. 9 (2): 63–71. doi:10.12657/folmal.009.009.
- Wiktor, A. (1966). "Eine neue Nacktschnecken-Art (Gastropoda, Limacidae) aus Polen". Annales Zoologici (in German). 23: 449–457.
- Wiktor, A. (1973). Die Nacktschnecken Polens. Arionidae, Milacidae, Limacidae (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora). Monografi e Fauny Polski 1. Warsaw: Polish Academy of Sciences.
- Wiktor, A. (2000). "Agriomilacidae (Gastropoda: Pulmonata) — a systematic monograph" (PDF). Annales Zoologici. 49: 347–590.
