Prophysaon

Prophysaon, common name taildropper slugs, is a genus of air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Ariolimacidae.^[2]

Prophysaon
Prophysaon andersoni
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Order:	Stylommatophora
Infraorder:	Arionoidei
Superfamily:	Arionoidea
Family:	Ariolimacidae
Genus:	Prophysaon Bland & W. G. Binney, 1873[1]
Synonyms
Limacarion J.G. Cooper, 1879 Phenacarion Cockerell, 1890 Prophysaon (Mimetarion) Pilsbry, 1948· accepted, alternate representation Prophysaon (Prophysaon) Bland & W.G. Binney, 1873· accepted, alternate representation

These slugs can self-amputate (autotomy) a portion of their tail.^[3] This autotomy has been observed in the species Prophysaon andersoni.^[4]

Distribution

This genus of slugs occurs in North America, including California and Oregon.

Species

Species in the genus Prophysaon include 10 species (9 according to Turgeon et al. 1998^[5][6] plus one known undescribed species^[3]):

• Prophysaon andersoni (J. G. Cooper, 1872) - Reticulate Taildropper, Anderson's Taildropper Slug
• Prophysaon boreale Pilsbry, 1948 - Northern Taildropper
• Prophysaon coeruleum Cockerell, 1890 - Blue-Gray Taildropper
• Prophysaon dubium Cockerell, 1890 - Papillose Taildropper
• Prophysaon fasciatum Cockerell in W. G. Binney - Banded Taildropper
• Prophysaon foliolatum (Gould, 1851) - Yellow-bordered Taildropper
• Prophysaon humile Cockerell, 1890 - Smoky Taildropper
• Prophysaon obscurum (Cockerell, 1890) - Mottled Taildropper
• Prophysaon vanattae Pilsbry, 1948 - Scarlet-backed Taildropper
  • Prophysaon vanattae var. pardalis
• Prophysaon undescribed species from Siskiyou County, California.^[3][7]

Species brought into synonymy

• Prophysaon flavum Cockerell, 1890: synonym of Prophysaon andersonii (J.G. Cooper, 1872)
• Prophysaon hemphilli Bland & W. G. Binney, 1873: synonym of Prophysaon andersonii (J.G. Cooper, 1872)
• Prophysaon pacificum Cockerell, 1890: synonym of Prophysaon andersonii (J.G. Cooper, 1872)