Short Description
The milky slug is mostly light to medium brown and often has a characteristic spotted pattern. The edge of the respiratory opening is lighter than the rest of the body. However, monochrome animals also occur. The mucus is colourless or white. It is medium-sized and up to six centimetres long when stretched out.
Features
Milky slug
Deroceras reticulatum
often with net or spot pattern
light rim around breathing opening
In the city
It prefers to live in cultivated landscapes. It is mainly found in open biotopes such as meadows, gardens, parks or along the edges of fields.
Fun Facts
It is an omnivore and is considered one of the main pests in vegetable production.
The species can only be clearly distinguished from other members of the genus Deroceras by examining the genital characteristics with the aid of a light microscope.
Its life cycle is highly temperature-dependent and varies greatly in different regions of Europe. For example, in Finland it lives for only about 4 months, whereas in Germany it can live for a year.
The breathing opening of slugs is always on their right side.
It is nocturnal.
- Endangerment level Germany: not endangered
Sources
Habitus, H. Krisp, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Genetzte_Ackerschnecke_Deroceras_reticulatum.jpg
Habitus, Rasbak, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Slak_kleine_naaktslak.jpg
Habitus, Joseph Berger, CC BY-SA 3.0, http://www.insectimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=5386116
Wiese, V. (2014) Die Landschnecken Deutschlands. Finden – Erkennen – Bestimmen, Wiebelsheim: Quelle & Meyer Verlag.
Schniebs, K. (2017) Genetzte Ackerschnecke (Deroceras reticulatum (O. F. Müller, 1774)), URL: https://www.weichtiere-sachsen.de/Pages/TaxonomyBrowser.aspx?Id=421635 (Accessed: 15.09.2017).
Page „Genetzte Ackerschnecke“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 06.09.2017, 16:13 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Genetzte_Ackerschnecke&oldid=168842090 (Accessed: 15.09.2017).
AnimalBase (2013) Species summary for Deroceras reticulatum, URL: http://www.animalbase.uni-goettingen.de/zooweb/servlet/AnimalBase/home/species?id=694 (Accessed: 22.09.2020).