Testacella maugei

Brown backpack worm ( Testacella maugei )

The backpack brown snail ( Testacella maugei ) is a " semi- slug " of the family and genus of snails backpack ( Testacella and Testacellidae ) from the subordination of terrestrial snails ( gastropod ).

Features

The housing is very small and sits as a rudiment of the tail of the animal. In the early juvenile stages, the animal can still pull back into the housing. Then the growth of the housing relative to the growth of the soft body remains strong and the adult animal is the " half- slug ", which can no longer retract into the housing. The housing is elongated and substantially parallel each other. It measures 12 to 16 mm in length and 6-7 mm in width. It has a yellowish- brown color and has significant Anwachsstreifung on. The soft body is brown, mottled black on the top and provided with a wrinkle. He is in the adult stage stretched about 6-10 cm long and about 1 cm thick. The sole of the foot and the Fußsaum are slightly lighter, often pinkish or pale orange. About 5 mm away from the shell, that is, near the rear end starts on either side of each furrow ( groove side ).

Life, the occurrence and distribution

The species prefers occurs in cultivated land, such as Gardens and parks. It feeds like the other types of backpack snails prey on earthworms. The snail is nocturnal and hides during the day in Erdröhren and under stones. The distribution area extends from northern Morocco over the Western Iberian Peninsula, western France (Brittany ), the Channel Islands to the south of the British Isles. It also occurs in Madeira and the Azores.