Yellow-shelled semi-slug
Parmarion martensi
The yellow-shelled semi-slug is half snail, half slug. It has only a small shell on its back, too small to hide inside. It came from Southeast Asia and has spread to other places like Hawaii.
Fun fact: this one is not an insect at all, it has no legs! But kids find it on every bug hunt, so it lives in Bug Wiki too.
Lives in
Southeast Asia, and it has spread to Hawaii, Japan and Taiwan
Can it hurt you?
Dangerous: look, do not touch
It can carry a tiny worm that causes a serious illness called rat lungworm disease. Look, do not touch, and tell a grown-up if you find one. Always wash garden vegetables well.
What does it eat?
It eats plants, like lettuce and papaya in gardens.
How fast is it?
Yellow-shelled semi-slug about 0.02 km/h (0.01 mph)
A garden snail about 0.05 km/h (0.03 mph)
A tortoise about 0.3 km/h (0.19 mph)
A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
It is called a semi-slug because it has a shell, but too small to crawl into.
2
In Hawaii it is a garden pest that eats lettuce and papaya.
3
Scientists worry it could spread to more places and harm farms and nature.
you asked
Most asked questions about Yellow-shelled semi-slug
?What is a semi-slug?
It is a snail with a shell so small that it cannot hide inside it, so it is halfway between a snail and a slug.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Parmarion martensi
- Named by
- Simroth, 1893
- Group
- Snails, slugs and worms
- Family
- Ariophantidae
- Classification
- Gastropoda > Stylommatophora > Ariophantidae
- Lives on
- Asia, Australia and Oceania, North America
Where the facts come from
- Parmarion martensi (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Geyejun. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
Bug Wiki honey jar For grown-ups: Bug Wiki is free, with no ads and no tracking. A small tip helps keep it online.Leave a tip
Garden snail
Giant African land snail
Leopard slug
Bladder snail
Medicinal leech
Common earthworm
Cryptic bumble bee
Garden grass-veneer
Snake-back spider
Lawn armyworm moth
Variable ladybird beetle
Mustard white