General Description

Colour variable, pale white-yellow with dark brown to grey pattern, sometimes dense enough to give the body a dark appearance. Up to 5 cm long.

Biology

Like all slugs, the Grey Field Slug is a hermaphrodite but it does reproduce sexually. They breed all year round when conditions are favourable, laying up to 700 eggs a year in clutches of up to 75. They live for one to two years. When threatened, they can self-amputate (automatise) the tip of their tail, leaving it behind while they escape and hide. The Grey Field Slug is an introduced species and considered the most severe pest slug in gardens and broad-acre crops.

Distribution

Worldwide. Eastern mainland Australia and Tasmania.

Habitat

Damp areas with introduced plant species.

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