Oopeltidae

Oopeltidae is a family of air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Arionoidea (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).

Oopeltidae
Ariostralis 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 Cockerell, 1891[1]

Subfamilies and genera

The family Oopeltidae consists of two subfamilies:

• Oopeltinae Cockerell, 1891
• Ariopeltinae Sirgel, 1985^[2]

Genera in the family Oopeltidae include:

Oopeltinae

• Oopelta Mörch [in Heynemann], 1867 - type genus of the family Oopeltidae
  • Oopelta nigropunctata

Ariopelta capensis

Ariopeltinae

• Ariopelta Sirgel, 1985^[2] - type genus of the subfamily Ariopeltinae
  • Ariopelta capensis Krauss, 1848 - type species, synonym: Limax (Limas) capensis Krauss, 1848
  • Ariopelta variegata Sirgel, 2012^[3]
• Ariostralis
  • Ariostralis nebulosa

Distribution

Two genera of Ariopeltinae live in South Africa.^[2] Ariopelta capensis and Ariostralis nebulosa are relict primitive species^[4] in the Cape Fold Mountains. In the Landdroskop area there are melanistic populations of these slugs.^[4]

References

1. Cockerell T. D. A. (1891). "On the geographical distribution of slugs". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1891(2): 214-226. Oopeltidae is on pages 216 and 222.
2. Sirgel W. F. (1985). "A new subfamily of Arionidae (Mollusca, Pulmonata)". Annals of the Natal Museum 26(2): 471-487. Ariopeltinae is on the page 473.
3. Sirgel, W.F. 2012. A new species of Oopeltidae (Mollusca, Pulmonata, Arionoidea), with a revision of the subfamily Ariopeltinae and remarks on its affinities within the family and superfamily. African Invertebrates 53 (2): 527-542.
4. Costandius E. (2005). The Landdroskop area in the Hottentots Holland Mountains as a refugium for melanistic lizard species: an analysis for conservation. Department of Botany and Zoology, University of Stellenbosch, 76 pp.