Hemphillia burringtoni (Pilsbry, 1948) Keeled Jumping-slug

Arionidae, Stylommatophora, Gastropoda, Mollusca, Animalia

Range: Distribution apparently limited to northern part of the Olympic Peninsula.

Identification:

Description: Body up to 20 mm long; Pilsbry (1948: 741) and Branson (1972, 1975) reported that this species lacks papillae on mantle, but each of the numerous live specimens that we have examined had conical papillae on mantle; eggs not known but probably are similar to those of H. glandulosa.

Natural History: Probably an annual species; most commonly found on or under woody debris and among leaf litter.

Conservation Status:

Literature Cited:

Bureau of Land Management. 1999. Field Guide to Survey and manage Terrestrial Mollusk
Species from the Northwest Forest Plan. BLM. Eugene, Oregon.

Branson (1972)

Branson (1975)

Pilsbry (1948: 741)

(need to ask Joan about a report, see abstract below) 20 Phylogeny, Taxonomy, and Population Structure of Hemphillia burringtoni and H. glandulosa Based on Genetic and Morphological Analyses – Ziegltrum, Joan, USDA Forest Service, Olympia, WA

Synonyms:

Etymology:

PHYLOGENY, TAXONOMY, AND POPULATION STRUCTURE OF HEMPHILLIA BURRINGTONI AND
H. GLANDULOSA BASED ON GENETIC AND MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSES
Wilke, Thomas, Animal Ecology & Systematics, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany
Ziegltrum, Joan, USDA Forest Service, Olympia, WA
Two small jumping slug taxa from the family Arionidae, Hemphillia burringtoni (Branson 1972) and H.
glandulosa (Binney and Vanatta 1948), native to the Pacific Northwest, have special status as “survey
and manage” species under the Northwest Forest Plan. Uncertainty exists in field identification
characteristics between the two species, as compared to literature descriptions. The objective of this
study was to determine whether H. burringtoni and H. glandulosa were two distinct species. We examined
199 specimens from 24 sites throughout their distribution in Oregon and Washington, U.S.A., and British
Columbia, Canada. Morphological, molecular (mitochondrial and nuclear genes) and anatomical studies
were conducted. In addition, 45 other representatives of the family Arionidae were used for phylogenetic
studies. Within the fourth ingroup-clade, representatives of the genus Hemphillia did not form a
monophyletic group. This is strong evidence that Hemphillia may consist of more than one genus. Two
major genetic clades were described for H. glandulosa and H. burringtoni. The genetic results do not
correspond to the morphological characteristics of the individuals. The detailed anatomical studies did
not reveal significant anatomical differences among specimens from different sites, among specimens
from different genetic clades or among specimens that were assigned to either species based on
morphological characters. We conclude there are two species complexes, which may be differentiated by
their geographic location. The phylogeographic patterns likely reflect the complex geological and
biogeographical history of the area. There is strong evidence for a large-scale survival of the Pleistocene
period.