Ghost Slug

Irene called me out on my claim that if you hear about a new creature that it was probably discovered on Madagascar. But a new slug has been unearthed, to date only found in Wales, specifically in Cardiff and Caerphilly. Behold the Ghost Slug (Selenochlamys ysbryda).

The ghost slug earned its name because of its pale flesh and subterranean lifestyle (very chic in the mollusk world). But there is something very unusual about this diminutive monster:

Unlike most slugs, the ghost slug is carnivorous and kills earthworms at night with powerful, blade-like teeth, sucking them in like spaghetti.

I can imagine a worm-oriented horror film called Nightcrawler. Only, the twist is that the Nightcrawler isn't the worm, it's the ghost slug! **shriek**

The closest cousin to this slug is found in Turkey and Georgia, so researchers have no idea how the ghost slug made it to Wales (hitchhiking?). One possible scenario is that it was inadvertently introduced via plant pots many hundreds of years ago, making the slug an alien species. Welsh earthworms are so happy about that accident.

The first photo is of an adult slug, the second one of a baby.

Thanks, Irene.

Photo source: Rhagor