Prophysaon, common name taildropper slugs, is a genus of air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Ariolimacidae.
These slugs can self-amputate (autotomy) a portion of their tail. This autotomy has been observed in the species Prophysaon andersoni.
Distribution
This genus of slugs occurs in North America, including California and Oregon.
Species
Species in the genus Prophysaon include 10 species (9 according to Turgeon et al. 1998 plus one known undescribed species): Prophysaon andersoni (J. G. Cooper, 1872) - Reticulate Taildropper, Anderson's Taildropper Slug Prophysaon boreale Pilsbry, 1948 - Northern Taildropper Prophysaon coeruleum Cockerell, 1890 - Blue-Gray Taildropper Prophysaon dubium Cockerell, 1890 - Papillose Taildropper Prophysaon fasciatum Cockerell in W. G. Binney - Banded Taildropper Prophysaon foliolatum (Gould, 1851) - Yellow-bordered Taildropper Prophysaon humile Cockerell, 1890 - Smoky Taildropper Prophysaon obscurum (Cockerell, 1890) - Mottled Taildropper Prophysaon vanattae Pilsbry, 1948 - Scarlet-backed Taildropper Prophysaon vanattae var. pardalis Prophysaon undescribed species from Siskiyou County, California. Species brought into synonymy Prophysaon flavum Cockerell, 1890: synonym of Prophysaon andersonii (J.G. Cooper, 1872) Prophysaon hemphilli Bland & W. G. Binney, 1873: synonym of Prophysaon andersonii (J.G. Cooper, 1872) Prophysaon pacificum Cockerell, 1890: synonym of Prophysaon andersonii (J.G. Cooper, 1872)
References
External links
information about Prophysaon andersoni: http://www.livinglandscapes.bc.ca/cbasin/molluscs/arionidae.html Wilke T. & Duncan N. 2004. Phylogeographical patterns in the American Pacific Northwest: lessons from the arionid slug Prophysaon coeruleum. Molecular Ecology, volume 13, issue 8, pages 2303–2315. Prophysaon sp. 1 A Terrestrial Slug. NatureServe Explorer.