Semi-slugs, also spelled semislugs, are land gastropods whose shells are too small for them to retract into, but not quite vestigial.[1] The shell of some semi-slugs may not be easily visible on casual inspection, because the shell may be covered over with the mantle.
This is a type of gastropod that is intermediate between a slug (without an external shell) and a land snail (with a large enough shell to retract completely into).
There exist a number of gastropod families that have semi-slugs species.[2] There exist about 1,000 species of semi-slugs in comparison to about only 500 species of slugs.[1]
Semi-slugs have a worldwide distribution and have evolved in several families; genera include: