SNAILS AND SLUGS

Black Slug, Arion ater

Class: Gastropoda (Snails and Slugs)

Size: Up to 6"

Habitat: Moist fields, gardens

Range: Pacific Northwest region

The Black Slug is a large slug introduced from Europe and is now common in the northwestern United States. The body is elongate and broad, with a rounded back and blunt tail section. The front half of the body is topped by a raised mantle covered in small tubercles, while the back half has long, linear ridges. As with other slugs, it has a pair of long, light-sensing tentacles; a pair of shorter, smelling tentacles; and a tough foot running the length of its underside for locomotion. The color of the mucous-covered skin is generally jet black, but variants may be whitish or brownish. Young slugs are colored tan or reddish but attain darker colors with maturity. Black Slugs are active mostly during the wetness and coolness of night, feeding on plants, fungi, and decaying organic matter, and can be a pest of crops and gardens.