A new species of belocaulus (gastropoda: veronicellidae)from southern and southeastern brazil

THE NAUTILUS 123(2):34 42, 2009

Page 34

A new species of Belocaulus (Gastropoda: Veronicellidae) from southern and southeastern Brazil
Fernanda Pires Ohlweiler
´ Laboratorio de Malacologia ˜ Divisao de Programas Especiais ˆ Superintendencia de Controle de Endemias Rua Cardeal Arcoverde, 2878 ˜ 05408 003, Sao Paulo, BRAZIL [e-mail]

´ Dan Jesse Goncalves Mota ¸ Suzete Rodrigues Gomes
´ Laboratorio de Parasitologia, Instituto Butantan Rua Vital Brasil, 1500 ˜ 05503 900, Sao Paulo, BRAZIL [e-mail] [e-mail]

ABSTRACT
A new species is proposed based on material collected in the ˜ states of Minas Gerais, Sao Paulo, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The morphology, radula, and jaw are described and illustrated. The new species is compared to Belocaulus angustipes, the only species of the genus currently considered valid. The main differences are found in the penis. The new species has small projections, similar to tubercles, on the anterior region of the glans, which can be scattered or arranged in two, three or more longitudinal rows. The terminal extremity of the glans has digitiform margin. The penis base is short and poorly defined. The accessory gland is completely immersed in the tegument. The description of the new species extends the distribution range of Belocaulus for the states of ˜ Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Additional keywords: Veronicellidae, Belocaulus, morphology, land slug

INTRODUCTION Veronicellidae includes terrestrial slugs of the subclass Gymnophila with pantropical distribution, with no shell, and no developed pulmonary cavity such as that observed in other terrestrial slugs of the subclass Pulmo nata. Some genera have been better studied because they include intermediate host species for the nematodes ´ Angiostrongylus costaricensis Moreira and Cespedes, 1971, and Angiostrongylus cantonensis (Chen, 1935), parasites responsible for abdominal angiostrongiliasis and