Slugger

Green Cellar Slug (Limacus maculatus)

When I went out into a gently misting evening last weekend, I spied this 3-inch (7.5 cm) long slug making its way up the wall beside the garage door. Its overall speckled pattern caught my eye. Back inside, I checked our copy of Slugs of Britain and Ireland (yep, we're nerds). Intriguingly, the only one that looked right showed a map with no occurence anywhere near East Anglia. This immediately interested Mike, who went out to retrieve it for a closer look. In the light of the kitchen, we confirmed its identity: it's a Green Cellar Slug (Limacus maculatus), also known as Irish Yellow Slug. Though initially known only from Ireland, this species is rapidly expanding its range, and is now common and widespread across much of Great Britain. It is thought to have been a relatively recent introduction from southeastern Europe; its native range stretches from western Russia through Romania and Bulgaria to Turkey. The heavy blotching on its mantle and tail, the coarseness of its tubercules (the small, closely-packed protuberances covering its body) and its blue-grey tentacles (its eyestalks and feelers) help to identify it. It feeds on algae, mould and lichens, (particularly those on walls) as well as on decaying plant material, and is regularly found in compost bins. Like all slugs, it prefers moist areas, such as under stones and logs; however, it also regularly occurs in buildings. It can be found at any time of the year, so undoubtedly – now that we know where it lives and how to identify it – we'll be seeing it again.