# Striped Greenhouse Slug (*Ambigolimax valentianus*)

The Striped Greenhouse Slug is a slimy little creature with beautiful stripes! It loves to munch on leaves and can be found in gardens and greenhouses. These slugs are gentle and help break down dead plants.

- **Category:** [Invertebrate](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/invertebrate)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Urban areas, gardens

![Striped Greenhouse Slug](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Lehmannia_valentiana_2011_NYC.JPG&width=800)

Photo: Invertzoo, CC BY-SA 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lehmannia_valentiana_2011_NYC.JPG)

## Appearance

The Striped Greenhouse Slug has a slender body, usually pale brown to yellowish-grey, with two distinct darker stripes running down its back. Its mantle covers a small portion of its front, and a prominent keel extends along its back, making it appear more streamlined than other slugs.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Mollusca
- **Class:** Gastropoda
- **Order:** Stylommatophora
- **Family:** Limacidae
- **Genus:** Ambigolimax

## Interesting facts

- A slug's 'tongue' has thousands of tiny teeth to scrape food! Wow!
- Striped Greenhouse Slugs can shrink into tight spaces to hide! Wow!
- They are amazing hermaphrodites, meaning each slug can lay eggs! Wow!
- They can navigate by following the slime trails of other slugs! Wow!

## Special abilities

- **Slime Superhighway:** Striped Greenhouse Slugs can glide on a self-created mucus trail that helps them move smoothly and protects them from rough surfaces.
- **Stretch & Sense:** Striped Greenhouse Slugs have two pairs of retractable tentacles that help them touch, taste, and smell their surroundings.
- **Undercover Breather:** Striped Greenhouse Slugs breathe through a small hole called a pneumostome, which they can open and close for air.

## Measurements & details

- **Size:** 30-70 mm
- **Lifespan:** 300-700 days

## Diet & Feeding

These slugs munch on decaying plants, fungi, and sometimes even fresh greens!

- **Primary Foods:** decaying plant matter, fungi, algae, tender plant shoots
- **Foraging Method:** Foraging

## Ecological connections

- **Hunts:** [Violet Ground Beetle](https://www.snappit.app/explore/violet-ground-beetle) (*Carabus violaceus*) — Ground beetles actively search for and eat slugs.
- **Eaten by:** [Common Blackbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-blackbird) (*Turdus merula*) — Blackbirds are common predators of slugs in gardens.
- **Eats:** [Lettuce](https://www.snappit.app/explore/lettuce) (*Lactuca sativa*) — Greenhouse slugs can cause damage by eating garden plants.

## Traits

- [Striped](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/striped): Marked with parallel bands or lines of color.
- [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.
- [Decomposer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/decomposer): Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
- [Urban Friendly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/urban-friendly): This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces.
- [Nocturnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nocturnal): Nocturnal animals are primarily active during the nighttime hours, typically resting or sleeping during the day.

## Collections

- [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/insects)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Slugs are safe to touch, but wash your hands afterward!

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Striped Greenhouse Slug?

Compare body symmetry, shells, segments, legs, tentacles and how the animal moves. Invertebrates span many unrelated groups, so start with body structure. Invertebrate Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How big is Striped Greenhouse Slug?

30-70 mm

### How long does Striped Greenhouse Slug live?

300-700 days

### What does Striped Greenhouse Slug eat?

These slugs munch on decaying plants, fungi, and sometimes even fresh greens!

### Where is Striped Greenhouse Slug usually found?

Urban areas, gardens

### How does Striped Greenhouse Slug hunt?

Foraging

## Where to spot

- [Crotona Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/crotona-park) — New York, US · Park
- [Highbridge Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/highbridge-park) — New York, US · Park

## More Invertebrate

- [Coral](https://www.snappit.app/explore/coral)
- [Crab Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/crab-spider) (*Mecaphesa asperata*)
- [Garden Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/garden-spider) (*Araneus diadematus*)
- [Brown Recluse Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-recluse-spider) (*Loxosceles reclusa*)

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Source: [Striped Greenhouse Slug: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/striped-greenhouse-slug)