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Terrestrial slugs (Lehmannia valentiana) collected from a held in Osaka, southwestern Japan, were reared under long-day (16-h light and 8-h darkness, LID 16:8) or short-day conditions (LD 12:12) at 15, 20, or 25 degrees C for 60 days. Slugs reared under short-day conditions were heavier than those reared under long-day conditions; however, slugs reared at 15 degrees C gained more weight regardless of the photoperiodic condition. Gonads were significantly heavier under short-day conditions than under long-day conditions, and oogenesis and spermatogenesis were also induced under short-day conditions. Under short-day conditions, reproductive maturation was suppressed at 25 degrees C as compared with 15 and 20 degrees C, whereas under longday conditions, lower temperatures induced reproductive maturation. In contrast, slugs reared under short-day conditions at 20 degrees C from the time of hatching gained more weight than those reared under long-day conditions at the same temperature. Moreover, short-day conditions induced reproductive maturation, similar to that observed in the field-collected slugs. In conclusion, short-day and low-temperature conditions promoted growth and reproductive maturation, whereas long-day and high-temperature conditions suppressed them in L. valentiana. Thus, L. valentiana reproduces from late autumn to spring in Osaka. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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