B. Slugs (ARIONIDAE)

Slugs are unshelled gastropod molluscs, and have the same food preferences as snails, mainly herbivorous, but also omnivorous and carnivorous. The herbivorous and omnivorous slugs eat rather more dead that living material compared to snails, and as such are useful scavengers and recyclers in the garden. They have a horny plate concealed under the mantle, or saddle, but no shell, so maintaining body moisture is essential, which is why they are so active after rain, and during the night when it is cool. Like snails they propel themselves with a muscular 'foot'. Slugs leave their scent in their slime trails, which assists in navigation and own species recognition. Slugs have teeth, and so can bite, and carnivorous slugs may hunt by following slime trails. All slugs are hermaphrodites, so when they mate both individuals produce eggs. Strongly smelling native plants with hairy stems help control slugs, such as lavender, rosemary and cranesbills, but better is to encourage hedgehogs, rodents, ground beetles, glow-worms (which feed exclusively on slugs and snails), and birds. Do not use chemicals, especially if you have pets. The most helpful feature of these Roundback Slug family members is that these slugs do not have a keel on the back, unlike the keelback slugs. The most helpful feature is that these large red slugs do not have a keel on the back, unlike the keelback slugs.

Molluscs

Molluscs are a large, diverse group of invertebrates, which have soft, unsegmented bodies enclosed within calcareous shells, and are represented in gardens mainly by terrestrial gastropods such as snails and slugs. Other molluscs, particularly the bivalves (like clams, oysters, scallops, cockles) and cephalopods (like squid and octopus), are aquatic. Their shells are secreted by a soft mantle covering the body.