Belocaulus angustipes
{{Short description|Species of gastropod}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Black-velvet leatherleaf slug (belocaulus angustipes).jpg
| image_caption= Two Black-velvet leatherleaf slugs mating
|genus=Belocaulus
|species=angustipes
|authority=(Heynemann, 1885)
}}
Belocaulus angustipes, the black-velvet leatherleaf slug, is a species of land slug in the family Veronicellidae native to South American tropical regions.{{cite WoRMS |author= |year= |title=Belocaulus angustipes (Heynemann, 1885) |id=1064167 |accessdate=20 December 2018 |db=molluscabase}}
Anatomy and morphology
As the common name suggests, Belocaulus angustipes are generally black and velvety in appearance as adults. Some juveniles of the species will have a pale strip in the middle.{{Cite web|last1=Capinera|first1=John L.|last2=White|first2=Jodi|title=Terrestrial Slugs of Florida (Mollusca: Stylommatophora: Veronicellidae, Phylomycidae, Agrolimacidae and Limacidae)|url=https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN891|access-date=1 November 2024|date=3 January 2022|id=Publication #EENY-494|orig-date=Originally published June 2011|publisher=Entomology and Nematology Department, UF/IFAS Extension|via=AskIFAS, EDIS Journal}}
Distribution and habitat
Belocaulus angustipes are native to South American tropical regions.{{Cite journal|last1=Das|first1=Partha Pratim Gyanudoy|last2=Bhattacharyya|first2=Badal|last3=Bhagawati|first3=Sudhansu|last4=Devi|first4=Elangbam Bidyarani|last5=Manpoong|first5=Nang Sena|last6=Bhairavi|first6=K Sindhura|date=2020-06-03|title=Slug: An emerging menace in agriculture: A review|url=https://www.entomoljournal.com/archives/2020/vol8issue4/PartA/8-3-355-443.pdf|journal=Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies}} They are also a nonnative but established species in northern Florida and other states in the Gulf Coast of United States.
Behavior
Belocaulus angustipes are mostly active at night and in wet weather.{{Cite journal|last1=Das|first1=Partha Pratim Gyanudoy|last2=Bhattacharyya|first2=Badal|last3=Bhagawati|first3=Sudhansu|last4=Devi|first4=Elangbam Bidyarani|last5=Manpoong|first5=Nang Sena|last6=Bhairavi|first6=K Sindhura|date=2020-06-03|title=Slug: An emerging menace in agriculture: A review|url=https://www.entomoljournal.com/archives/2020/vol8issue4/PartA/8-3-355-443.pdf|journal=Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies}} Their diet consists of both live and decaying plant matter. Due to their large numbers in the tropical regions, the Belocaulus angustipes are a big problem for agricultural crops.
Parasitism
In South America, Belocaulus angustipes are a part of the parasitic lifecycle of the nematode parasite Angiostrongylus costaricensis.{{Cite journal|last1=Grewal|first1=P. S.|last2=Grewal|first2=S. K.|last3=Tan|first3=L.|last4=Adams|first4=B. J.|date=2003|title=Parasitism of Molluscs by Nematodes: Types of Associations and Evolutionary Trends|journal=Journal of Nematology|volume=35|issue=2|pages=146–156|pmid=19265989|pmc=2620629}}