A Guide for Terrestrial Gastropod Identification - University of ...

Agriolimacidae
Megan E. Paustian, University of Maryland
Only 4 species (Deroceras) of this family are native to the U.S. and Canada.
Native Agriolimacids are 15-50 mm long slugs. The Agriolimacid mantle has concentric
ridges, a pneumostome in the posterior half, and an internal shell. The tail tip is rounded with a
short keel extending up the dorsum. Species tend to vary in the complexity or presence of the
penial flagellum, which is often a diagnostic character. However, most individuals of Deroceras
laeve are aphallic.
Native Agriolimacids live in mixed-wood forests, although the habitat and food
requirements of most species are poorly known. They may take shelter under leaf litter,
vegetation, or coarse woody debris. D. laeve is a pervasive species that lives in marshes, moist
fields, along riverbanks, and in gardens. This species, which can be a garden pest, consumes live
and dead plants.
Two species are found in the west coastal region between Alaska and California, while D.
heterura is only found in New Mexico. D. laeve's native range is extremely broad, spanning the
entire U.S. and the coastal provinces of Canada, as well as much of the Holarctic region
worldwide.
Information summarized from Pilsbry (1948), Chichester & Getz (1973), Kerney &
Cameron (1994), Burke (1999).
TAXON AUTHOR
G-
RANK DISTRIBUTION
Deroceras hesperium Pilsbry, 1944 G2 OR, WA; Canada: BC
Deroceras heterura Pilsbry, 1944 G1G2 NM
AK, AL, AR, CA, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD,
ME, MI, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, SD, TN,
Deroceras laeve (Muller, 1774) G5 TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV; Canada: AB, BC, NF, NS, ON, QC
Deroceras monentolophus Pilsbry, 1944 G4 AK, CA, OR, WA
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