Golden semi-slug
The golden semi-slug is half snail and half slug. It has a shell, but the shell is so small that it cannot hide inside it. The shell is thin and see-through, so you can spot its brightly coloured insides shining through.
How fast is it?
Fun facts
It likes to rest lying on its side on a leaf, with the tip of its tail curled back.
The tip of its tail works like a suction cup, so it sticks to whatever brushes past.
It can hitchhike by accident on animals, people and even cars that rub against the leaves.
Its little shell sits on its back like a saddle and mainly protects its insides.
It lives along the mountains of eastern Australia, from New South Wales up towards Brisbane.
Most asked questions about Golden semi-slug
?Is the golden semi-slug a snail or a slug?
A bit of both. It has a shell, but the shell is too small to hide in, so it is called a semi-slug.
?What does the golden semi-slug eat?
It scrapes algae and mould off the surface of leaves.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Mysticarion porrectus
- Group
- Snails, slugs and worms
- Family
- Helicarionidae
- Classification
- Gastropoda > Stylommatophora > Helicarionidae
- Lives on
- Australia and Oceania
Where the facts come from
- Mysticarion porrectus (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 Poyt448. CC0, 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.
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