55:
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33:
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The slug is not harmful to humans, but as a presumed introduced species, more records from
Britain are being solicited, partly on the basis of an appeal to the public. As more information is gathered, the distribution of the species will be monitored to check that it does not become an
354:. By August 2014 the species was known from over 25 sites, mostly in South Wales but with a few sites in England, including an outlier in Oxfordshire. Records in Britain are usually from gardens, allotments, or nearby roads and riversides in populated areas.
252:
This slug can reach 6.4 cm (2.5 in) in size, with its body extended. It has no eyes, and is white in colour. It is predominantly burrowing, living up to a metre underground, and rarely, at night, coming to the surface. Unlike the majority of
373:. The first specimen had been collected in 1989 from under a boulder in a natural mountain forest. The second was found on the floor of a cave, 10 m from the entrance. These are the first records of
437:, and is to be treated as a noun in apposition. The name alludes to the species' ghostly appearance, nocturnal, predatory behaviour and the element of mystery surrounding its origin.
229:. It has subsequently turned up at numerous further sites in South Wales and a few sites in England, but it is believed to be an introduction in the UK, occurring mostly in gardens.
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Two specimens of what is probably the same species (they were immature, so difficult to identify) have been recognised from two sites in the
331:
was unknown at the time of its original description. Bill
Symondson speculated that the slug originally evolved in cave systems alien to the
327:
prior to the discovery in
Britain. Although the species is almost certainly introduced, its country of origin and how it made its way into
346:
on 29 October 2006. This single specimen was photographed and then released. A year later, another slug was found by a gardener near
739:
469:
991:
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cathedral on 29 December 2004, but its significance was overlooked at the time. A second specimen was found in a lane in
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Because of the slug's white colour and nocturnal habits, and because it is so rarely seen, it was given the species name
54:
887:
970:
232:
Specimens likely to be this species have also now been identified from two sites in natural mountain forest in the
878:
482:
Neiber, Marco T.; Walther, Frank; Hausdorf, Bernhard (October 2020). "Phylogenetic relationships of ghost slugs (
304:, "ghost slug". This appears to be the first case of a species name having been taken from the Welsh language.
486:) and overlooked instances of limacization in Western Palaearctic Limacoidei (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora)".
413:
described in 2008 by The
International Institute for Species Exploration and an international committee of
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996:
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391:, making it likely that they are the latter species. Because it occurs in natural habitat in the
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433:, meaning a ghost or spirit. The word was Latinized by the addition of a feminine ending
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and was formally described and named in 2008 by Ben Rowson, a taxonomist at the
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National Museum page calling for help in identifying and monitoring
Ysbryda.
525:. State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
258:
197:
194:
186:
66:
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681:
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in the
Crimean Mountains, Ukraine: first record from its native range?".
461:-like slug new to western Europe (Stylommatophora: Trigonochlamydidae)".
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550:"'Ghost slug' is a mystery – New species of slug surfaces in the UK"
335:, and may possibly have arrived in Wales in soil in a potted plant.
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and the breathing hole are found at the tail end of the body.
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Help us find out more about the mysterious alien "Ghost Slug"
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694:
Help us find out more about the mysterious alien "Ghost Slug"
284:
ribbon of the species. The inset shows one individual tooth.
207:, although when first described it was assumed to be in the
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750:
forums. Published 29 October 2006. Retrieved 15 July 2008.
796:"Scientists announce top 10 new species | ASU News"
214:
The species was first recognised from various sites in
350:, Wales, where it was brought to the attention of the
338:
The first specimen was collected in the churchyard of
825:
Identification guide at the
National Museum of Wales
847:
684:. Published 10 July 2008. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
650:(Stylommatophora: Trigonochlamidae) from Crimea"
523:International Institute for Species Exploration
315:Other slug species in this family are found in
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637:
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362:as it presumably spreads across South Wales.
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762:Published 9 July 2008, Cited 7 October 2008.
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519:"Welsh rare bit: top 10 new species of 2009"
323:, but no representatives had been found in
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774:Published 6 June 2010, Cited 11 May 2010.
453:Rowson B. & Symondson O. C. (2008) "
446:
705:Reise, H.; Hutchinson, J.M.C. (2009).
513:
511:
509:
225:, and Bill Symondson, an ecologist at
784:Update to Reise & Hutchinson 2009
488:Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
265:using its blade-like teeth. Both the
7:
399:is probably native there and may be
381:. The Crimean specimens differ from
644:Turbanov, I.; Balashov, I. (2015).
674:Worm-eating slug found in garden (
586:"The Long Reach of the Ghost Slug"
14:
300:. This in turn gave rise to the
53:
707:"An earlier record of the slug
772:Ghost slug update, spring 2010
1:
244:are within its native range.
1025:Gastropods described in 2008
165:Rowson & Symondson, 2008
657:Malacological Bohemoslovaca
500:10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106897
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457:sp. nov from Wales, UK: a
44:, head towards lower left
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50:Scientific classification
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429:, is derived from Welsh
411:"The Top 10 New Species"
387:in the same way as does
588:. National Museum Wales
409:was selected as one of
248:Description and ecology
614:Balashov, I. (2012). "
285:
240:, indicating that the
879:Selenochlamys ysbryda
849:Selenochlamys ysbryda
715:Journal of Conchology
709:Selenochlamys ysbryda
620:Journal of Conchology
616:Selanochlamys ysbryda
554:National Museum Wales
463:Journal of Conchology
455:Selenochlamys ysbryda
425:The specific epithet
407:Selenochlamys ysbryda
384:Selenochlamys pallida
360:invasive pest species
352:National Museum Wales
296:meaning ghost in the
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220:National Museum Wales
193:. It is a shell-less
174:Selenochlamys ysbryda
159:Selenochlamys ysbryda
42:Selenochlamys ysbryda
646:"A second record of
16:Species of gastropod
584:Rowson, B. (2014).
189:air-breathing land
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278:electronmicrograph
227:Cardiff University
209:Trigonochlamydidae
1007:
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979:Open Tree of Life
841:Taxon identifiers
393:Crimean Mountains
367:Crimean mountains
242:Crimean mountains
223:(Amgueddfa Cymru)
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468:(5): 537-552.
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800:the original
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1020:Oxychilidae
927:iNaturalist
873:Wikispecies
806:17 February
415:taxonomists
302:common name
292:, the word
205:Oxychilidae
117:Oxychilidae
26:Ghost slug
1014:Categories
725:4 December
560:29 October
529:13 January
494:: 106897.
459:Testacella
441:References
397:S. ysbryda
389:S. ysbryda
344:Caerphilly
263:earthworms
257:, it is a
179:ghost slug
97:Gastropoda
421:Etymology
259:carnivore
198:gastropod
195:pulmonate
187:predatory
135:Species:
73:Kingdom:
67:Eukaryota
945:71034149
906:51614244
858:Wikidata
682:BBC News
470:abstract
294:"ysbryd"
113:Family:
87:Mollusca
83:Phylum:
77:Animalia
63:Domain:
997:1001334
984:5517792
971:1461386
919:9418736
864:Q135382
427:ysbryda
401:endemic
371:Ukraine
348:Cardiff
329:Britain
321:Georgia
290:ysbryda
280:of the
238:Ukraine
201:mollusc
183:species
181:, is a
123:Genus:
103:Order:
93:Class:
40:A live
932:481226
893:657624
746:, The
742:photos
663:: 1–4.
431:ysbryd
379:Crimea
340:Brecon
317:Turkey
282:radula
267:mantle
234:Crimea
177:, the
992:WoRMS
721:: 103
676:video
653:(PDF)
592:8 May
255:slugs
216:Wales
966:NCBI
940:IUCN
914:GBIF
888:BOLD
808:2016
727:2009
594:2015
562:2012
531:2017
319:and
191:slug
953:NBN
901:EoL
496:doi
492:151
377:in
369:in
276:An
236:in
185:of
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994::
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719:40
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632:^
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395:,
333:UK
211:.
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435:a
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