Land Snails

Photos: Pallifera ohioensis
Photos © Dan Dourson

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Pallifera ohioensis (Sterki, 1908)

Family: Philomycidae
Common name: Redfoot Mantleslug

Identification
Length: 15-30 mm

Pallifera ohioensis is a narrow-bodied slug entirely covered by a mantle. The mantle coloration is light tan or gray with faint spotting and no additional markings. Its tentacles are gray, and its sole is cream-colored. Characteristic of this species is a red-orange anterior foot fringe and slightly reddish mucus (Sterki 1908; Burch 1962). However, it is not clear whether P. ohioensis is a taxonomically well-defined species, because the colorful foot fringe appears on other Pallifera species, possibly as a result of aging.

Pallifera ohioensis is similar to P. dorsalis but lacks the broken mid-dorsal line that P. dorsalis occasionally has (Dourson, 2010).

Ecology
Slugs of the genus Pallifera tend to be found in leaf litter, or crawling on living or fallen trees.

Taxonomy
Synonyms of P. ohioensis are Philomycus ohioensis and P. rushi. The taxonomic status of Pallifera ohioensis is not certain (e.g. Hubricht [1985] synonymizes the species with P. dorsalis).

Distribution
In the northeastern US, this species was recorded across Pennsylvania and in Maryland (Prince Georges Co.). Its range includes Ohio, West Virginia, and Indiana (Dourson, 2010).

Conservation
NatureServe Global Rank: G5, Apparently secure.

Megan Paustian 6/2017

Range Map (Click to Enlarge)