Family CYSTOPELTIDAE Cockerell, 1891

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Introduction

This small family of slugs is endemic to eastern and southeastern Australia. They are distinguished from all other slugs by their general body form; they appear to be midway between a snail and a "classical" slug. In Cystopeltidae the visceral mass is separate from the foot at the posterior end with the mantle covering the entire visceral mass. Cystopeltids are found under logs or in litter, but on wet cool days may be seen crawling on tree trunks, sometimes quite high above the ground. In forest areas they may be found also inside the rolled up, loose bark hanging on large gum trees, in some cases many metres above the ground.

The relationships of this family to other groups of land molluscs is still not known, though several workers have suggested various relationships. Various colour forms are known and the colour, size and body form appears to be related to habitat and to geographical distribution. Daniell (1991, 1994) implied that more species are yet to be described.

The family is characterized by the general body form with the visceral mass separate from the foot at the posterior end.

General References

Daniell, A. 1991. Taxonomy, genetics and ecology of the terrestrial slug family Cystopeltidae (Mollusca: Pulmonata). Unpubl. Ph.D. thesis. Victoria : School of Biological Sciences, Latrobe University.

Daniell, A. 1994. Genetics and terrestrial mollusc conservation. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 36: 47-53

Davies, O.B. 1912. The anatomy of the slug, Cystopelta petterdi var. purpurea, var. n. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria ns 24: 331-342

Hedley, C. 1890. On the structure and systematic position of Cystopelta. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 2 5: 44-46, pl 1

Kershaw, R.C. 1987. Redescription of Cystopelta petterdi Tate, 1881 and Cystopelta bicolor Petterd and Hedley, 1909 (Pulmonata : Cystopeltidae). Journal of the Malacological Society of Australia 8: 51-70

Smith, B.J. & Kershaw, R.C. 1979. Field Guide to the Non-marine Molluscs of South-eastern Australia. Canberra : A.N.U. Press 285 pp.

Smith, B.J. & Kershaw, R.C. 1998. Family Cystopeltidae. pp. 1106-1107 in Beesley, P.L., Ross, G.J.B. & Wells, A. (eds). Mollusca: The Southern Synthesis. Fauna of Australia. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing Vol. 5(Part B) pp. vi–viii, 565–1234.

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