error) Rathouisia pantherina is a species of carnivorous air-breathing land slug, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Rathouisiidae.
The specific name pantherina is from Latin word "pantherinus", that means "panther-like", referring to the predatory nature of the slug.
Rathouisia pantherina was first described by the Jesuit zoologist and missionary to China Pierre Marie Heude in his 1882 essay series "Notes sur les Mollusques terrestres de la vallée du Fleuve Bleu".
[2][3] Heude noted at the time that denoting R. pantherina as a separate species was only provisional, because it may one day be reunited with congener R.
[4] The two original Rathouisia pantherina specimens studied by Heude[2] were found on limestone cliffs in Tchen-k‘eou, now known as Chengkou, Chongqing Province, China.
[7] Rathouisia pantherina feature a buccal mass with a radula that forms a protrusible proboscis, characteristic of Rathouisiids, and lack a jaw.
[8] Rathouisiids also have a slim yet robust esophagus, with walls composed of extensively folded epithelium reinforced by connective tissue and an envelope of muscle.
The intestine itself follows a straight path diagonally across the body cavity, ending at the anus, which is located in their parapodial groove at the anterior right.
[9][10] Characteristic of Euthyneura, their nervous systems are also mostly symmetrical, lacking the effects of torsion typical of gastropod bodies.
The blastomeres also display limited developmental potential, and an early determination of cell fate during embryonic development.
[6] In the rainy season, it takes advantage of the humidity and begins to move within the litter layers, resting on cool, smooth, surfaces, such as limestone.