The distribution and effect of a new alien terrestrial slug

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K18654
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Plant protection science
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Udaka Hiroko 京都大学, 理学研究科, 助教 (60534609)
• Research Collaborator: IKEZAWA Hiromi
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 生活史 / 外来種 / 分布

Outline of Final Research Achievements

I studied the life cycle in Limax maximus in Ibaraki prefecture, Japan. Slugs with a developed penis were found through a whole year. The development of gonad and albumen gland were seasonally changed. We found that L. maximus start reproduction in fall. To study the effect of photoperiod on reproductive maturation juvenile slugs were reared under short-day or long-day conditions for 240 days and long-day conditions induced gonad maturation. I did not succeed in clarify the relationship between L. maximus to other slugs. L. maximus were collected in in Eastern Japan and Hokkaido to obtain mitochondrial DNA sequence (COI). The data were compared with those from slugs collected in other countries. Several haplotypes were found in Japanese population. Therefore, this result show that several individuals were introduced to Japan.

Free Research Field

動物生理学