Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a slug?
This section will show you the physical features (or parts) of a slug, as well as a variety of common species of slugs found in Oregon. When treating for slugs, it is important to know what species you are dealing with; or if the damage is even slugs at all! Being properly informed on what you are trying to manage is imperative for selecting tools and timing of treatment to be effective. There are also pages within to give insight on what might be mistaken for slug damage.
If you wish to identify a slug or snail, the keys/information in the links section are suggested. A delightful guide is found at: Terrestrial Mollusk Tool ID tool. You may want to visit the Slug Parts link first. For those folks located in the Pacific Northwest, four useful keys are the Identification Guide to Land Snails and Slugs of Western Washington (pictorial key- very easy), Terrestrial Gastropods of the Columbia Basin, British Columbia, Oregon Department of Agriculture's Mollusc Guide, and Slugs: a guide to the invasive and native fauna of California produced by Rory McDonnell et al. in 2009.
Lionel Ernest Adams
The Collector's Manual of British Land and Freshwater Shells, 1896.
