Veronicella sloanei

[Kevin]

Heres a piece I typed up on Pancake Slugs, with the help of Fatslug, it is not 100% finished, more can be added to several parts eventually, mainly on breeding, egg laying etc...

[Kevin]

Pancake Slugs, Veronicella sloanei

Pancake Slugs are a very unusual, flattened slug species, they have recently become available from wild caught populations in Barbados. They are fairly easy to care for, and will eat a wide variety of vegetables and fruit.

They are variable in colour, ranging from white, cream and grey and are usually covered with markings of different shades of grey.

In the wild these slugs like to hide under logs, boards and other objects on the ground and are more likely to be found during rainfall, they have become a pest species in Florida in the United States, eating crops.

They move fairly quickly, and prefer to shy away from light, becoming far more active in the night rather than the day.

Size
Average adult size is around 12cm long and around 2cm wide when fully extended, though they may get larger, almost non-existent current information of captive Pancake Slugs limits this information.

Distribution
Current captive population originates from wild caught individuals from Barbados, they are also found in Bermuda, Dominica, Dominican Republic, St Lucia and St Vincent, this species probably originated from Jamaica…These species are considered a serious crop pest in Florida, United States.

Lifespan
The lifespan of these slugs are unknown, some species of british slugs (Limax Maximus for example) lives for around 3 years in the wild, and probably will live longer in captivity, longer lifespans cannot be ruled out.

Identification
These slugs can be identified fairly easily, especially when in comparison to slugs native to the UK…They have flattened bodies and eyes which protude from beneath a “helmet.” They’re colour is highly variable, though familiar, ranging from different shades of white, grey and cream, most have markings and patterns of different grey shades.

Care
Like most slugs, Pancake Slugs are escape artists and will escape many vivaria lids, so a secure lid is needed. A sheet of glass fitted to the aquarium would stop them escaping, also keeping them in a transparent plastic box, which are usually bought for storage purposes (from DIY stores etc) are escape proof, but air holes will be needed.

They will need to be kept fairly humid, and in a warm room, if not a small heat-mat can be used on 1/3 of the housing to give them a gradient of temperature.

A substrate of coco humous or peat can be used, with a layer of moss, in which they will hide within during the day, they appreciate a hide, which can be a log, or piece of bark from the garden, or decorative object from a petstore, it will need to be thoroughly cleaned and soaked before placing in the slugs housing, especially if it is wild collected.

Feeding
These slugs can be fed on many vegetables and fruits that are also offered to the far more commonly keep Giant African Land Snail species, they will eat lettuce, cucumber, apple, banana, and can be tried on other foods, they will probably eat it, they need a constant supply of cuttlefish bone for calcium.

Breeding
Currently there is no information on breeding of these species, several people are attempting breeding them though, if kept in the conditions noted above there is little reason why they will not produce eggs.


Some information, mainly on the natural history of these slugs taken from www.doacs.state.fl.us/pi/enpp/ento/snail_slugs-pa.htm

Kevin Davies

[natrat84]

I don't know a thing about slugs... But it looks good. Alot of information there. There a few grammar things that will need adjusting but, well done, its great ;D

[Kevin]

natrat84 said:

I don't know a thing about slugs... But it looks good. Alot of information there. There a few grammar things that will need adjusting but, well done, its great ;D

Reading it through again I noticed some grammar errors, didnt see them first time round.

[natrat84]

Thats ok, Its only minor things ;D Its briliant for a first copy.. ;D Well done

[Paul]

Great, I'll start knocking a page up, I'll correct mistakes as I see them. Excellent!!

Do we have pictures?

[Paul]

"they need a constant supply of cuttlefish bone for calcium"

Aside from eggs, why do they need it?

[Kevin]

admin said:

"they need a constant supply of cuttlefish bone for calcium"

Aside from eggs, why do they need it?

Im not sure myself, I was told my a member of this forum who had kept slugs before that they needed calcium if I was to keep them

[Paul]

This brings me on to a topic I have been discussing with Emma; Can snails store calcium? Here's an excerpt:

"I wonder where all the calcium goes in fully grown snails. It is bizarre. Although they don't eat as much as growing ones, I wonder why they eat any at all. I don't think slugs do with no shell to worry about. But also, I am convinced that snails have calcium reserves somehow, every time I rescue a snail from outside, they don't eat the cuttlefish at first. They simply hide and start repairing. Given that they're from outside, I doubt they'll have eaten that much calcium in the previous day or two. You'd expect a damaged snail to sit eating and repairing at the same time. But they don't, and even if they hide because they are frightened and vulnerable the fact is that the shell repair is well underway before they start munching cuttlefish. Well, in my experience anyway. That would explain why fully grown snails with undamaged shells eat cuttlefish. - paul"

"As for the calcium, it is a point I have often wondered.. my brixton margies havent seemed to get the hang of cuttle fish as yet, but have laid down new shell all the same! If they have the ability to store calcium I would wonder where. I believe that the human body excretes excess and only uses that required whereas snails seem different unless they are obtaining meger amounts of calcium in their food (veg etc) I suppose that could keep them going for a while.. - Emma"

What do you think?

[Kevin]

That would make sense that snails store calcium, I would agree with that...I havent noticed it in mine though, as all my brixton snails took to cuttlefish immeadiatly, they have grown they're shell, but I dont know if it is down to the cuttlefish or not...This has me thinking now, do slugs need cuttlefish as a source of calcium?

[Kevin]

Just posted some pics of pancake slugs, they can be found here

petsnails.proboards3.com/index.cgi?board=snailpictures&action=display&n=1&thread=3143&page=1

[fatslug]

My pancake slugs have occasionaly grazed on cuttlefish, and you can tell by way of the white faeces that they produce shortly afterwards.
Haven't witnessed it with Velvet slugs even before egg laying.

[Arno]

Since the new shell growth comes from the mantle,i would think that is where snails store it,but i don't know in which form.

[Paul]

Ok, done the page:

www.petsnails.co.uk/index.php?action=species&species=veronicella_sloanei#start

Kev, don't worry about the credits for now, I've decided to have a section in credits for contributors instead of littering all the pages with a list. I've just not done it yet I've included a website link for your pictures, do you want me change "Kevin" to anything, like including your last name?

[Kevin]

admin said:

Ok, done the page:

www.petsnails.co.uk/index.php?action=species&species=veronicella_sloanei#start

Kev, don't worry about the credits for now, I've decided to have a section in credits for contributors instead of littering all the pages with a list. I've just not done it yet I've included a website link for your pictures, do you want me change "Kevin" to anything, like including your last name?

If you could change it to Kevin Davies that would be great, the page looks really good

[Kevin]

Fatslug's pancake slug eggs have hatched...The eggs took 15 days to hatch, around 30 babies came from one batch of egg's, the baby slugs are around 1cm and are small, yellow miniatures of the adult slugs

I have eggs also, I have recorded the date they were laid and hopefully I will be recording they're hatch date soon

[Leah]

ooh, wow. I just got my first pancake slugs. Do you have any pictures of the babies? Good luck with the eggs.

[fatslug]

3 day old sluglets.

[Paul]

Calcium for slugs update...

"...have limited themselves to conditions of high moisture, the need for protection from light and heat, but have moved away from their dependency on calcium rich soils due to the shedding of their external shell." bss.sfsu.edu/holzman/courses/Fall00Projects/bananaslug.html

[Leah]

I've given mine a cuttlefish but they haven't touched it.

[Kevin]

eric said:

I've given mine a cuttlefish but they haven't touched it.

Mine have eaten into they're cuttlefish, maybe they eat cuttlefish only when they need to I can only assume though? you could crush the cuttlefish and sprinkle over they're fruit and veg.

EDIT: just noticed Paul's post...so calcium isnt needed?

[natrat84]

I don't know about slugs, never kept them. But I wouldn't have thought they needed it. They don't have bones, or shells, and certainly not hair or nails. Just my thoughts.

[Kevin]

Just found some information on them from this site

erato.acnatsci.org/ams/meetings/archives/2005/documents/Abstract_volume-03.html

A Preliminary Study of the Biology of Veronicella sloanei (Cuvier 1817) in Barbados

Nickelia Clarke & H. Angela Fields1

1Department of Biological & Chemical Sciences, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados

In Barbados, in the first half of the twentieth century, plant damage caused by slugs was deemed to be 'annoying but not economically serious'. However, by 1950 slug populations and slug damage appear to have increased, as records show that in 1951 a search for parasites suitable for the biological control of Veronicella was undertaken. None were found and today slugs, particularly Veronicella sloanei, are still an important pest in gardens and plant nurseries in Barbados. Research into the biology of Veronicella sloanei was carried out in the 1980s, but the results were never published and have since been lost. In the present study ad libitum sampling of animals in the field, and focal animal sampling and scan sampling of slugs held in aquaria were employed to collect data on the activity budget and mating behaviour of V. sloanei. Slugs were examined for the presence of an inflated bursa copulatrix, a condition that, in this study, was used as evidence of prior sexual activity. Egg clutches found in the field and those produced by captive slugs were incubated and the hatchlings were reared in aquaria. Preliminary data reveal that slugs are active, and will feed, throughout the night until just before dawn. Both in the field and in the laboratory, Veronicella sloanei was found to mate in pairs, in triplets or in groups. An inflated bursa copulatrix was most commonly found in animals with a contracted length of greater than 40 mm

*Also all my slug eggs has hatched, there is about 20-30 babies, around 5-10mm..They took 15 days to hatch, exactly the same amount of time as Fatslug's eggs*

[Kevin]

Found some more info, its mostly repeated info, but some new stuff in there

The Slug Veronicella sloanei (Cuvier, 1817)  an Important Pest in the Caribbean Angela Fields1 and David G. Robinson2 1Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, BARBADOS, [e-mail]; 2USDA-APHIS-PPQ, Academy of Natural Sciences Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA Veronicella sloanei (Cuvier, 1817) is believed to be native to Jamaica, but has spread to a number of the Greater and Lesser Antilles, as well as Bermuda. We have documented its presence in Grand Cayman, the Dominican Republic, Barbados, Dominica, and St. Lucia, and it has been introduced recently into St. Vincent. It is the largest of the veronicellid slug species found in the eastern Caribbean, reaching an extended length of 12 cm. The colour of the notum is highly variable and can be a pale cream, brown, or grey with varying degrees of mottling. Veronicella sloanei is an aggressive, phytophagous, opportunistic pest and will attack a wide range of horticultural and agricultural crops including varieties of Hibiscus, Bougainvillea, leafy vegetable crops such as cabbage, spinach and lettuce, papaya, citrus, bean (Phaseolus), and peanut. In addition to leaf damage, this slug can “debark” sections of stem of plants such as Datura and gardenia, and will attack the corms and cormels of tannia, dasheen, banana, and plantain. Control methods used in the islands include the use of table salt, tobacco dust, Vydate®, methaldehyde powder, and Sluggit® in liquid or pellet form