Limax is a genus of air-breathing land slugs in the terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk family Limacidae.
The generic name Limax literally means "slug". Snail-eating animals, such as certain snakes) are thus called limaxivorous.
Some species, such as the leopard slug (L. maximus), are beneficial for the garden.
The genus Limax sensu stricto is probably monophyletic.
Distribution
This genus is native to Europe, but at least one species (L. maximus) has been introduced into North America.
Species
The genus Limax includes at least 33 species:
- Limax aeolianus <small>Giusti, 1973</small>
- Limax albipes <small>Dumont & Mortillet, 1853</small>
- Limax amaliae <small>Bettoni, 1870</small>
- Limax bielzii <small>Seibert, 1873</small>
- Limax brandstetteri <small>Falkner, 2008</small>
- Limax camerani <small>Lessona & Pollonera, 1882</small>
- Limax canapicianus <small>Pollonera, 1885</small>
- Limax cephalonicus <small>Simroth, 1886</small>
- Limax ciminensis <small>Pollonera, 1890</small>
- Limax cinereoniger <small>Wolf, 1803</small> (syn. Limax alpinus Férussac, 1822)
- Limax conemenosi <small>Böttger, 1882</small>
- Limax corsicus <small>Moquin-Tandon, 1855</small>
- Limax dacampi <small>Menegazzi, 1854</small>
- Limax dacampi dacampi <small>Menegazzi, 1855</small>
- Limax dobrogicus <small>Grossu & Lupu, 1960</small>
- Limax doriae <small>Bourguignat, 1861</small>
- Limax engadinensis <small>Heynemann, 1863</small>
- Limax erythrus <small>Bourguignat, 1864</small>
- Limax gerhardti <small>Niethammer, 1937</small>
- Limax giovannellae <small>Falkner & Niederhöfer, 2008</small>
- Limax giustii <small>Falkner & Nitz, 2010</small>
- Limax graciadeii <small>Gerhardt, 1940</small>
- Limax graecus <small>Simroth, 1889</small>
- Limax granosus <small>Bérenguier, 1900</small>
- Limax hemmeni <small>Rähle, 1983</small>
- Limax ianninii <small>Giusti, 1973</small>
- Limax ilvensis <small>Falkner & Nitz, 2010</small>
- Limax lachensis <small>Bérenguier, 1900</small>
- Limax luctuosus <small> Moquin-Tandon, 1855</small>
- Limax maximus <small>Linnaeus, 1758</small> - great grey slug
- Limax millipunctatus <small>Pini, 1885</small>
- Limax monolineatus <small>Bettoni, 1870</small>
- Limax monregalensis <small>Lessona & Pollonera, 1882</small>
- Limax pironae <small>Pini, 1876</small>
- Limax polipunctatus <small>Pollonera, 1888</small>
- Limax pseudocinereoniger <small>Schilthuizen, Thompson, de Vries, van Peursen, Reisinger, Paterno, Maestri, Marcolungo, Esposti, Delledonne & NjunjiÃÂ, 2022</small>
- Limax punctulatus <small>Sordelli, 1871</small>
- Limax redii <small>Gerhardt, 1933</small>
- Limax samensis <small>Heim & Nitz, 2009</small>
- Limax squamosus <small>Bérenguier, 1900</small>
- Limax strobeli <small>Pini, 1876</small>
- Limax subalpinus <small>Lessona, 1880</small>
- Limax tschapecki <small>Simroth, 1886</small>
- Limax veronensis Lessona & Pollonera, 1882
- Limax vizzavonensis <small>Falkner & Nitz, 2010</small>
- Limax wohlberedti <small>Simroth, 1900</small>
- Limax wolterstorffi <small>Simroth, 1900</small>
- Limax zilchi Grossu & Lupu, 1960
Subgenus Limacus (more often today treated as its own genus)
- Limax ecarinatus <small>Boettger, 1881</small>: synonym of Limacus maculatus <small>(Kaleniczenko, 1851)</small>
- Limax flavus <small>Linnaeus, 1758</small> yellow garden slug, tawny garden slug: synonym of Limacus flavus <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small>
Synonyms
References