Ariostralis nebulosa

Ariostralis nebulosa is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial, pulmonate, gastropod mollusk in the family Oopeltidae.

Ariostralis nebulosa
Black-and-white photo of a live individual of A. nebulosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Heterobranchia

clade Euthyneura
clade Panpulmonata
clade Eupulmonata
clade Stylommatophora

informal group Sigmurethra
Superfamily:
Arionoidea
Family:
Oopeltidae
Subfamily:
Ariopeltinae[1]
Genus:
Ariostralis
Species:
A. nebulosa
Binomial name
Ariostralis nebulosa
Sirgel, 1985

Distribution

This is a species of non-marine mollusc found in South Africa only.[1]

Ecology

A. nebulosa is readily found throughout the whole year.[1]

A. nebulosa serves as the first intermediate host for a parasite, the brachylaimid trematode Renylaima capensis.[1] Branched, cercariogenous sporocysts of this parasite massively develop in A. nebulosa.[1] These sporocysts are attached to the hepatopancreas, body wall, pallial floor and even to the genital system.[1] This fluke is highly specific at the first intermediate host level.[1]

The forest shrew (Myosorex varius) is a predator of A. nebulosa.[1] There is a possible direct infection of the shrew by the cercariae of R. capensis.

References
  1. Sirgel, W. F.; Artigas, P.; Bargues, M. D.; Mas-Coma, S. (2012). "Life Cycle of Renylaima capensis, a Brachylaimid Trematode of Shrews and Slugs in South Africa: Two-host and Three-host Transmission Modalities Suggested by Epizootiology and DNA Sequencing". Parasites & Vectors 5: 169. doi:10.1186/1756-3305-5-169.
  • This article incorporates CC-BY-2.0 text from the reference "Life Cycle of Renylaima capensis", by Sirgel, Artigas, Bargues & Mas-Coma, 2012.


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