PNW species selling! Monadenia, Banana slugs, Lancetooth...
Apr 18, 2020 18:52:44 GMT
astana and lkara like this
Post by Kari on Apr 18, 2020 18:52:44 GMT
Hi all!
The gastropod season is just starting up in BC and I have access to many native species. If you are interested in anything I don't currently have listed, I can try to locate it for you. For the harder to find guys there may be a waitlist but I'll be sure to keep snathering. Photos are a pain to include on here but astana posted a bunch from one of our outings last season if you'd like some examples of what we found.
Native snails:
Monadenia fidelis (pacific sideband)
Average diameter in the area: 32.7mm
These guys are hard to come across in most areas but I know where to look. They love maple leaves and rotting branches, with an environment like that I ended up with 400 babies! I released most of them but I still have some. Adults are to come once they start coming out this year.
$5 off for a pair! (Trying to encourage breeding)
I have only found two of those yellow shelled color morphs, unfortunately I don't believe either mated before dying. I'm on the lookout for more since they're very very rare. Let me know if you'd like one but I can't guarantee I'll find it. The larger babies are pretty likely to survive at this point but you'll have to wait a while before they can mate. They were hatched in August but because monas have many whorls, they're still fairly small. The tinier babies may not all survive but they give you a chance to watch the full life cycle of a mona. They love eating sweet potato and astana has had luck with grated carrots too. They live happily in my native terrarium with the banana slugs but not the lancetooths because baby snails.
Lancetooths:
Haploterma Vancouverense (robust lancetooth) or Ancotrema Sportella (beaded lancetooth)
These guys are carnivorous. They love little slugs and they're very fun to watch hunt. Aside from when they're hunting, they're pretty chill. They like to bury and couldn't really harm something bigger than themselves. They're probably just fine with large species if enough food is available but I wouldn't trust them with babies. I have a moderately harm time finding these guys because of their tendency to bury. If you want a low maintenance snail that you can excitedly watch hunt sometimes, a lancetooth may be for you.
$3 off for a pair!
The robust lancetooths are much bigger with a smooth shell. I find most empty shells of them but some live ones too. I price them higher because they're harder to come across. The beaded lancetooths have a very cool shell texture and are smaller but otherwise the species look pretty similar and need about the same things.
Vespies:
Vespericola columbiana
These guys are adorable! They have fur all over their shells and a smooth pinkish-brown body I have a hard time finding them because they bury like the lancetooths and the fur makes them not shiny. They like the same things as monas but are a bit better at hiding. They also have cute little dark brown stripes on their light brown shell.
Pygmy Oregonian:
Cryptomastix devia
I had a difficult time identifying these guys when I first found them, there's not a lot of info out there on them. They look like smaller vespies with thicker fur and a tooth in their aperture. They're about as difficult to find as the vespies are but I've only found two so far. Furry snails are wonderful, I highly recommend. Despite the name, they do live up here in BC!
Honestly these guys are my favorites, don't tell the others I said that.
Native slugs:
Banana slug:
Ariolimax columbianus
These guys are pretty easy to find here and come in a wide variety of color morphs. They are also the largest native slug in North America and very good looking! They aren't shy and like the same environment as monas. They're very photogenic and eat a lot. They act a lot like leopard slugs in that way.
For those who are interested, these are my steps to finding a banana slug:
1. Look under loose bark and leaves for 20 minutes
2. Give up
3. Realize it's been in plain sight this whole time and right in front of you
If you'd like me to look for any other slug species, I'd be happy to. I can also provide 5 little feeder slugs for the lancetooths for an extra $5. I'm happy to ship anywhere and we can discuss shipping costs when you pick your gastropod.
Let me know if there's something you'd like!
The gastropod season is just starting up in BC and I have access to many native species. If you are interested in anything I don't currently have listed, I can try to locate it for you. For the harder to find guys there may be a waitlist but I'll be sure to keep snathering. Photos are a pain to include on here but astana posted a bunch from one of our outings last season if you'd like some examples of what we found.
Native snails:
Monadenia fidelis (pacific sideband)
Average diameter in the area: 32.7mm
These guys are hard to come across in most areas but I know where to look. They love maple leaves and rotting branches, with an environment like that I ended up with 400 babies! I released most of them but I still have some. Adults are to come once they start coming out this year.
| Variety/Price | $2 | $10 | $20 | $30 |
| Adult (dark colored) | x | |||
| Adult (light colored with high contrast stripes) | x | |||
| Adult (rare yellow shell color morph) | x | |||
| Baby (strong and >5mm) | x | |||
| Baby (<5mm) | x |
I have only found two of those yellow shelled color morphs, unfortunately I don't believe either mated before dying. I'm on the lookout for more since they're very very rare. Let me know if you'd like one but I can't guarantee I'll find it. The larger babies are pretty likely to survive at this point but you'll have to wait a while before they can mate. They were hatched in August but because monas have many whorls, they're still fairly small. The tinier babies may not all survive but they give you a chance to watch the full life cycle of a mona. They love eating sweet potato and astana has had luck with grated carrots too. They live happily in my native terrarium with the banana slugs but not the lancetooths because baby snails.
Lancetooths:
Haploterma Vancouverense (robust lancetooth) or Ancotrema Sportella (beaded lancetooth)
These guys are carnivorous. They love little slugs and they're very fun to watch hunt. Aside from when they're hunting, they're pretty chill. They like to bury and couldn't really harm something bigger than themselves. They're probably just fine with large species if enough food is available but I wouldn't trust them with babies. I have a moderately harm time finding these guys because of their tendency to bury. If you want a low maintenance snail that you can excitedly watch hunt sometimes, a lancetooth may be for you.
| Variety/Price | $12 | $15 |
| Robust lancetooth | x | |
| Beaded lancetooth | x |
The robust lancetooths are much bigger with a smooth shell. I find most empty shells of them but some live ones too. I price them higher because they're harder to come across. The beaded lancetooths have a very cool shell texture and are smaller but otherwise the species look pretty similar and need about the same things.
Vespies:
Vespericola columbiana
These guys are adorable! They have fur all over their shells and a smooth pinkish-brown body I have a hard time finding them because they bury like the lancetooths and the fur makes them not shiny. They like the same things as monas but are a bit better at hiding. They also have cute little dark brown stripes on their light brown shell.
| Variety/Price | $12 |
| Vespie adult | x |
Pygmy Oregonian:
Cryptomastix devia
I had a difficult time identifying these guys when I first found them, there's not a lot of info out there on them. They look like smaller vespies with thicker fur and a tooth in their aperture. They're about as difficult to find as the vespies are but I've only found two so far. Furry snails are wonderful, I highly recommend. Despite the name, they do live up here in BC!
| Variety/Price | $12 |
| Pygmy Oregonian | x |
Honestly these guys are my favorites, don't tell the others I said that.
Native slugs:
Banana slug:
Ariolimax columbianus
These guys are pretty easy to find here and come in a wide variety of color morphs. They are also the largest native slug in North America and very good looking! They aren't shy and like the same environment as monas. They're very photogenic and eat a lot. They act a lot like leopard slugs in that way.
| Variety/Price | $5 | $10 | $15 | $20 |
| Green/dull yellow (no spots) | x | |||
| Bright yellow (no spots) | x | |||
| Dull yellow (with spots) | x | |||
| Bright yellow (with spots) | x | |||
| Rare color morph (we'll see when I find one) | x |
 |
For those who are interested, these are my steps to finding a banana slug:
1. Look under loose bark and leaves for 20 minutes
2. Give up
3. Realize it's been in plain sight this whole time and right in front of you
If you'd like me to look for any other slug species, I'd be happy to. I can also provide 5 little feeder slugs for the lancetooths for an extra $5. I'm happy to ship anywhere and we can discuss shipping costs when you pick your gastropod.
Let me know if there's something you'd like!
