Indrella ampulla

Indrella ampulla

Today we meet yet another creature endemic to the Western Ghats-- Indrella ampulla.

It is the only species within its genus, but it comes in all sorts of different colors and varieties. Yellow is a very common body color, but it can be bright red, black and white as well. The shell is dark in color, normally contains three whorls, and typically meaures no more than 2in in diameter.

Indrella ampulla lives in mountainous rainforests. There, they feed on different Fungi varieties, using their radula that contain more than 100 rows of tiny teeth!

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : India
Size : Shell width up to 2in (6cm)

Classification : Phylum : Mollusca -- Class : Gastropoda
Family : Ariophantidae -- Genus : Indrella -- Species : I. ampulla
Image :  NHM

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Limax maximus

Limax maximus

Meet Limax maximus, also known as the Leopard Slug. These Gastropods are some of the largets Slugs int he world, and can grow up to 8in long.

It is pretty easy to see where these Slugs got their feline-inspired common name. They have brown bodies that are covered with darker, leopard-like spots. There are actually several different color types, ranging from very pale, to red, to dark, but all have the spots.

Limax maximus originally hailed from Europe and possibly western Africa. However, they have spread very far from home and are now common in North America, South America, and even New Zealand.

You'll find these slugs near humans-- they like to eat trash and other decaying matter, and they normally feed at night. Unfortunately, they also like to feast on young living plants as well, which is why they are considered an invasive pest in the United States, where they feed on crops.

Like all slugs, Limax maximus individuals are hermaphrodites. When they mate, two slugs will circle each other (sometimes for hours and hours) and then eventually climb a tree. The pair will then dangle from the tree by a thick strand a mucus, and it is then that they trade sperm with each other. Each slug will then go on to lay its own eggs.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Europe
Size : Body Length up to 8in (20cm)
Classification : Phylum : Mollusca -- Class : Gastropoda -- Superfamily : Limacoidea
Family : Limacidae -- Genus : Limax-- Species : L. maximus
Image : max0rz

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Banana Slug

Ariolimax spp.

There are three different species that are known as Banana Slugs, and all belong to the genus Ariolimax. All three also happen to live near the Pacific Coast of North America, inhabiting the rainy coniferous forests that run from Alaska to California.

Banana Slugs get their name from their bright yellow color, though yellow is not the only color they come in. Some are green, others are brown, and some even have dark spots (sounds like the various stages of a ripening banana to me!) One of the species, the Pacific Banana Slug, is the second largest slug in the world, and can grow as long as 10 inches.

These slugs live on the forest floors, moving slowly as slugs do. In a minute they can cover almost half a foot of distance! They consume all kinds of detritus and decomposing matter, and by doing so help to fertilize their environment.

Banana Slugs aren't just important contributors to their environment-- they are a college mascot too! In 1986 the University of California, Santa Cruz selected the slug, which can be found in nearby forests, to be its official mascot. Sammy the Slug represents them to this day!

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Pacific Coast of North America
Size : Length up to 10in (25cm)

Classification : Phylum : Mollusca -- Class : Gastropoda
Family : Ariolimacidae -- Genus : Ariolimax

Image : National Park Service

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