Oregon Department of Agriculture guides
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Start here: Slug or Snail? 

Slugs have: 
  • no visible shell or a small shell that cannot contain their body.
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Continue to slugs
Snails have:
  • a coiled shell that can contain most or all of their body.
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Continue to snails

 

Slugs

Parts of a slug

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Common slug identification key

With visible shell
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Without visible shell
1. Pneumostome in anterior half of mantle
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2. Pneumostome in middle or posterior half of mantle.
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Slugs with anterior pneumostomes

1. No line where tail can be shed. Caudal pore present. Body tubercles uneven, ovoid in shape with no apparent pattern. 
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Arion, roundback slugs
2. ​Line where tail can be shed (can be difficult to see). This can be an impressed line or indicated by a change in the skin texture. No caudal pore. Body tubercles typically diamond shaped in diagonal rows. 
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Prophysaon, tail droppers

Slugs with posterior pneumostomes

1. With bands or spots and...
...foot fringe with vertical stripes, mantle without wrinkles -
​Ariolimax columbianus
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Ariolimax columbianus
...foot fringe without stripes, mantle with wrinkles - 
Ambigolimax, Limacus, and Limax.
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Ambigolimax valentiana
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Limacus flavus
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Limax maximus
2. No bands or spots (may have pigmented speckles)...
...mantle rounded posteriorly. Body of typical slug proportions. 
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...mantle pointed posteriorly. Body long and worm-like - 
Boettgerilla pallens. 

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