Terrestrial Slugs

Runham, N. W. & Hunter, P. J.

Publication Date: 1970

About this Item

At first sight slugs appear to be improbable land animals, as they have a high water content but no impermeable cuticle; yet they are extremely successful. Their success is due to their considerable adaptability. In this book the authors have attempted to survey the physiology, behaviour, ecology and economic importance of slugs. It was written firstly to provide information for those people seeking to control these important agricultural and horticultural pests. Current trends in agriculture seem likely to make them even more serious pests in the future. It is therefore essential to discover better methods of control. The mode of action of the current molluscidides is largely unknown and therefore their further development is a matter of chance. Perhaps a better understanding of slug physiology, behaviour and ecology will lead to the design of more effective chemical or biological control methods. Secondly, it was hoped that the book would promote the use of slugs in schools and universities as material for research and teaching, where the demand is for animals easily collected in large numbers. Apart from their pest status slugs have an intrinsic biological interest. It is now possible to obtain suitable keys to identify the local species in many parts of the world but it is difficult to find information on their general biology. Most of the work on land molluscs has concentrated on species of the snail Helix and slugs get little mention in general reviews. It therefore seemed that it would be of value to present as full a picture as possible of the life of slugs. In some fields of study where little work has been carried out with slugs, information has had to be included from studies on related molluscs. It is regrettable that little work has been carried out on tropical slugs, so that most of the information utilised here had to be taken from studies on North European species. There is a need for further information at all levels from the simplest natural history to the most sophisticated physiology and ecology, and in all countries. Perhaps it is in the field of taxonomy that work is most urgently required, as this information is the basic for all further work. London, Hutchinson University Library. 184 pp., 57 figs, br. 8 [13.5 x 21.5 cm].

Seller Inventory # W27516

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Terrestrial Slugs
• Publication Date: 1970
• Binding: Soft cover