Blue-grey Taildropper

AT RISK

This small slug is blue-grey in colour and may have lighter speckling. Parallel grooves and ridges are present along the back and along the sides of the foot. Total length is less than two inches. This is a forest animal with a preference for undisturbed mature forests. It is associated with moist habitat containing understory vegetation such as sword fern, salal, Oregon grape, and Nootka rose. Most specimens have been encountered in areas containing abundant coarse woody debris and/or a thick layer of natural litter on the forest floor. This slug feeds upon fungi that assist plant root nutrition, and therefore the slug may be of ecological importance in distributing fungal spores. Conservation includes protecting moist forest sites from disturbance, maintaining connecting corridors among forest patches, and removing aggressive invaders such as Scotch Broom.