Slug

Slug, or land slug, is the common name for all apparently shell-less terrestrial gastropod mollusc. a word slug is also often used as element of the common create of any gastropod mollusc that has no shell, a very reduced shell, or only a small internal shell, especially sea slugs and semislugs this is in contrast to the common draw snail, which applies to gastropods that have a coiled shell large enough that they can fully retract their soft parts into it.

Various taxonomic families of land slugs form element of several quite different evolutionary lineages, which also include snails. Thus, the various families of slugs are non closely related, despite a superficial similarity in the overall body form. The shell-less given has arisen many times independently as an example of convergent evolution, and thus the style "slug" is polyphyletic.

Human relevance

The great majority of slug species are harmless to humans and to their interests, but a small number of species are serious pests of agriculture and horticulture. They can destroy foliage faster than plants can grow, thus killing even fairly large plants. They also feed on fruits and vegetables prior to harvest, creating holes in the crop, which can make individual items unsuitable to sell for aesthetic reasons, and can make the crop more vulnerable to rot and disease. Excessive buildup of slugs within some wastewater treatment plants with inadequate screening have been found to cause process issues resulting in increased power to direct or established and chemical use.

As leadership measures, baits are usually used in both agriculture and the garden. In recent years, ] Conservation tillage worsens slug infestations. Hammond et al 1999 find maize/corn and soybean in the USA to be more severely affected under low till because this increases organic matter, thus providing food and shelter.

In a few rare cases, humans have developed Angiostrongylus cantonensis-induced meningitis from eating raw slugs. symbolize slugs that are accidentally eaten with improperly cleaned vegetables such(a) as lettuce, or improperly cooked slugs for usage in recipes requiring larger slugs such as banana slugs, can act as a vector for a parasitic infection in humans.