Big Slugs
- To: M*@ucdavis.edu, u*@victoria.tc.ca
- Subject: Big Slugs
- From: "* B* <s*@hotmail.com>
- Date: Tue, 24 Nov 1998 09:17:29 PST
>Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1998 23:24:25 -0700
>To: Medit-Plants@ucdavis.edu
>From: Diane <ua024@victoria.tc.ca>
>Subject: Dan Hinkley's lecture in Melbourne
>Reply-To: ua024@victoria.tc.ca
>
>>(ps - he showed a slide of local black slugs which appeared huge - are
>>they for real?? - I take back everything I have said about my slugs
>>presenting a problem!)
As Diane said, the big black slugs are not our biggest ones; they are
only 4 inches long. ! :) They are imports as are the little gray "milk
slugs". There is also a greenish sleek one about 4 inches long that can
be bad. The banana slugs (Aerolimax) are the biggest slugs in the world
- there are actually nine or so species. Down in California they really
do deserve their name because the species there tend to be brilliant
yellow. Up in Washington, we have a less showy but larger (up to 9
inches) olive green one. A friend of mine from Peru went camping with
housemates and woke up one morning aghast to find "bear droppings" in
front of his tent. A closer inspection revealed that the pile he saw
was actually two big olive banana slugs in nuptial bliss. They do feed
mostly on decaying plant matter, but I have seen them up high eating
flowers in moist fall weather.
Bob
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