Limacidae Lamarck, 1801
The Limacidae are a family of terrestrial slugs with a center of diversity in southern Europe (Wiktor 1996). They evolved from zonitid snails (Pilsbry 1948).
External: Long body; mantle <1/3 body length; body may be a single color or with stripes and/or spots; fingerprint pattern of grooves on mantle with center on median line of foot; pointed tail tip; keel, not extending to mantle; 3-part sole, with transverse wrinkles on each part; pneumostome posterior to median of mantle; mucus clear or a bit yellow, watery (Kerney & Cameron 1979; Wiktor 1983).
Internal: Internal shell thin, flat, asymmetric; penis present but no epiphallus; no penial stimulator; a penial appendix/gland may be present; penial retractor crosses retractor of right ommatophore/tentacle; no accessory glands on oviduct or atrium; usually 3-looped ailimentary system, sometimes with caecum (Kerney & Cameron 1979; Wiktor 1983).
Limacid species are distinguished through features of the penis (length, shape) and penial appendix (presence, shape, size) (Kerney & Cameron 1979).
45-200 mm long (Wiktor 1983).
Native to N Africa, Asia Minor, Europe, Caucasus, central Asia (Wiktor et al. 2000). Introduced elsewhere.
Feed on fungi and dead or live plants (Forsyth 2004).