Limacidae, also known by their common name the keelback slugs, are a taxonomic family of medium-sized to very large, air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Limacoidea.

Distribution

The distribution of the family Limacidae is the western Palearctic. There are 28 species of Limacidae in Russia and adjacent countries.

Anatomy

Cytology

In this family, the number of haploid chromosomes lies between 21 and 25 and also lies between 31 and 35 (according to the values in this table).

Taxonomy

2002 taxonomy

Zhiltsov & Schileyko (2002) elevated the subfamily Bielziinae to family level, Bielziidae, based on the morphology of the reproductive system of Bielzia coerulans.

2005 taxonomy

The following two subfamilies were recognized in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005):

Genera

Genera in the family Limacidae include: subfamily Limacinae subfamily Eumilacinae

Cladogram

A cladogram showing the phylogenic relationships of this family to other families within the limacoid clade:

Ecology

Parasites of slugs in this family include larvae of the marsh flies Sciomyzidae, and others.