Dictionary:

slug¹

  (slŭg)

1. A round bullet larger than buckshot.
2. Informal.
   1. A shot of liquor.
   2. An amount of liquid, especially liquor, that is swallowed in one gulp; a swig.
3. A small metal disk for use in a vending or gambling machine, especially one used illegally.
4. A lump of metal or glass prepared for further processing.
5. Printing.
   1. A strip of type metal, less than type-high and thicker than a lead, used for spacing.
   2. A line of cast type in a single strip of metal.
   3. A compositor's type line of identifying marks or instructions, inserted temporarily in copy.
6. Physics. The unit of mass that is accelerated at the rate of one foot per second per second when acted on by a force of one pound weight.

1. Printing. To add slugs to.
2. Informal. To drink rapidly or in large gulps: slugged down a can of pop.

[Perhaps from SLUG² (from its shape).]

1. Any of various small, snaillike, chiefly terrestrial gastropod mollusks of the genus Limax and related genera, having a slow-moving elongated body with no shell or only a flat rudimentary shell on or under the skin.
2. The smooth soft larva of certain insects, such as the sawfly.
3. A slimy mass of aggregated amoeboid cells from which the sporophore of a cellular slime mold develops.
4. Informal. A sluggard.

[Middle English slugge, sluggard, probably of Scandinavian origin.]

To strike heavily, especially with the fist or a bat.

A hard heavy blow, as with the fist or a baseball bat.

[Possibly from SLUG¹.]

To wait for or obtain a ride to work by standing at a roadside hoping to be picked up by a driver who needs another passenger to use the HOV lanes of a highway.

A commuter who slugs.

[Probably from SLUG².]

A terrestrial pulmonate mollusk in which the shell is absent or reduced to a small internal or external rudiment. The slug form has evolved independently several times. The incorporation into the muscular foot region of the body organs (which are contained within the shell in other mollusks) results in a streamlined body shape (see illustration), enabling the animal to enter small holes or crevices.

Limax maximus. There are two pairs of tentacles on the head, and the opening to the lung is clearly visible.

Lung respiration occurs as in other pulmonates, but skin respiration is probably at least as important.

A few slugs are carnivorous, such as Testacella which eats earthworms, but the majority are herbivores and may become serious horticultural and agricultural pests. See also Pulmonata.

A metal bar containing the carved image of a letter or digit that is used in a printing mechanism.

Advertising: signature of an advertiser on a print advertisement. The slug can be a distinctive logo, trademark, or simply the name of the advertiser (with or without the address) placed in the advertisement for identification.

Printing:

1. A one-piece line of type that is cast by machine, rather than by hand.

2. Piece of metal usually measuring six points in thickness used for spacing between lines of type.

Television production: blank footage inserted into a film or videotape to represent a program or portion thereof that is still to come. The slug will be the exact length of the forthcoming piece so that the running time of the footage will be the same as that of the finished product.

noun

A small amount of liquor: dram, drop, jigger, shot, sip, tot¹. Informal nip². Slang snort. See big/small/amount, ingestion.

noun

A self-indulgent person who spends time avoiding work or other useful activity: bum¹, drone¹, fainéant, good-for-nothing, idler, layabout, loafer, ne'er-do-well, no-good, slugabed, sluggard, wastrel. Informal do-little, do-nothing, lazybones. Slang slouch. See industrious/lazy.

verb

To deliver a powerful blow to suddenly and sharply: bash, catch, clout, hit, knock, pop¹, slam, slog, smash, smite, sock, strike, swat, thwack, whack, wham, whop. Informal biff, bop, clip¹, wallop. Slang belt, conk, paste. Idioms: let someone have it, sock it to someone. See attack/defend, strike/miss.

noun

A sudden sharp, powerful stroke: bang, blow², clout, crack, hit, lick, pound, sock, swat, thwack, welt, whack, wham, whop. Informal bash, biff, bop, clip¹, wallop. Slang belt, conk, paste. See attack/defend, strike/miss.

mass BI-f.p.s. The coherent unit of mass in the gravitational system of the Imperial system, identically ft·lb-f^-1·s², i.e. the mass accelerated at the rate of one foot per second per second by the force that is the true pound (the ‘pound-force’); 1 slug = 14.593 9~ kg (32.174~ lb-mass). The latter number is the standardized value, within BI, of Earth's surficial gravitational acceleration, i.e. g; hence also gee pound.

For more information on slug, visit Britannica.com.

To convert from slugs to:

kilogram, multiply by 14.59.
pounds, multiply by 32.17.

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A slimy, night-feeding mollusk without a shell that feeds on plants. It thrives in shady moist soil.

This article is about Terrestrial Slugs. For Sea Slugs, see Nudibranch.

Land slugs
various species of land slugs
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Mollusca Class: Gastropoda Subclass: Orthogastropoda Superorder: Heterobranchia Order: Pulmonata Suborder: Eupulmonata Infraorder: Stylommatophora
Subinfraorders, superfamilies, and families
See text

Slug is a common non-scientific word which is most often applied to any gastropod mollusk which has a very reduced shell, a small internal shell, or no shell at all.

The word "slug" is used in everyday parlance to differentiate these animals from other gastropods commonly known as snails, but in reality slugs and snails are very often almost exactly similar, apart from the fact that snails usually have a functional coiled shell. The word slug has been commonly applied to some marine species as well as some terrestrial species of shell-less snails.

The loss or reduction of the shell is a derived characteristic, and the same basic body design has independently evolved several times, making slugs a polyphyletic group. In other words, the shell-less condition has arisen many times in the evolutionary past, and because of this, the various different taxonomic families of slugs are often not at all closely related to one another despite a superfical similarity.

Although slugs do undergo torsion (180º twisting of the internal organs) during development, their bodies are streamlined and worm-like, and so they show little external evidence of it.

The main group of marine shell-less gastropods or sea slugs are the nudibranchs. However, the information presented below applies mainly to land slugs.

The soft, slimy bodies of slugs are prone to desiccation, so land-living slugs are confined to moist environments.

Morphology and behavior

Slugs macerate food using their radula, a rough, tongue-like organ with many tiny tooth-like denticles.

Like snails, most slugs have two pairs of 'feelers' or tentacles on their head. The upper pair—optical tentacles—are light sensors; the lower pair provides the sense of smell. Both pairs are retractable and can be regrown if lost. On top of the slug, behind the head, is the saddle-shaped mantle, and under this are the genital opening and anus. The mantle also has a hole, the pneumostome, for respiration. The slug moves by rhythmic muscular action of its foot.

Some species hibernate underground during the winter in temperate climates, but in other species, the adults die in the autumn.

Mucus

Slugs produce two types of mucus: one which is thin and watery, and another which is thick and sticky. Both are hygroscopic. The thin mucus is spread out from the centre of the foot to the edges. The thick mucus spreads out from front to back. Mucus is very important to slugs because it helps them move around, and contains fibres which prevent the slug from sliding down vertical surfaces. Mucus also provides protection against predators and helps retain moisture. Some species use slime cords to lower themselves on to the ground, or suspend from them during copulation.

Reproduction

Slugs are hermaphrodites, having both female and male reproductive organs. Once a slug has located a mate they encircle each other and sperm is exchanged through their protruding genitalia. A few days later around 30 eggs are laid into a hole in the ground or under the cover of objects such as fallen logs.

A commonly seen practice among many slugs is apophallation, when one or both of the slugs chews off the other's penis. The penis of these species is curled like a cork-screw and often becomes entangled in their mate's genitalia in the process of exchanging sperm. Apophallation allows the slugs to separate themselves. Once the penis has been removed, the slug remains female for the rest of its life.

Various species of slug can also reproduce via tiny "darts" of sperm which they fling in the direction of their mate's genitalia.

Ecology

Anatomy of a slug

Slugs play an important role in ecology by eating decomposting matter, such as leaves, fungus, and decaying vegetable material, but some are predators and most also eat carrion including dead of their own kind. They also feed on fruits and vegetables prior to harvest, making holes in the crop that makes it more vulnerable to disease.

Like humans, slugs are made up mostly of water. They must generate protective mucus to survive and thus require large amounts of water. In drought conditions they hide under rocks, plants, and planters in order to retain body moisture. Salt applied to the slug's body is usually fatal, as it absorbs much of the moisture in the slug.

Frogs, toads, snakes, hedgehogs, eastern box turtles, and also some birds and beetles are natural slug predators. Slugs, when attacked, can contract their body, making themselves harder and more compact and thus more difficult for many animals to grasp. The unpleasant taste of the mucus is also a deterrent.

In certain cases humans have contracted parasite-induced meningitis from eating raw slugs ^[1].

Photographs

Red slug, Arion rufus - red color form on a rhubarb leaf, in England	Banana slug, Ariolimax columbianus, British Columbia, Canada	Great grey slug, Limax maximus, in Illinois, USA	Two Great grey slugs mating
Tropical leatherleaf, Laevicaulis alte	A slug from North Bend, Washington, USA	A slug from the Western Ghats of India	A slug found in Hampshire, England, feeding on a leaf.
Close up of mating Great Grey Slug found in Maryland, USA	Mating Great Grey Slug found in Maryland, USA	Great Grey Slug pictured in Maryland, USA

Subinfraorders, superfamilies, and families

• Subinfraorder Orthurethra
  • Superfamily Achatinelloidea Gulick, 1873
  • Superfamily Cochlicopoidea Pilsbry, 1900
  • Superfamily Partuloidea Pilsbry, 1900
  • Superfamily Pupilloidea Turton, 1831
• Subinfraorder Sigmurethra
  • Superfamily Acavoidea Pilsbry, 1895
  • Superfamily Achatinoidea Swainson, 1840
  • Superfamily Aillyoidea Baker, 1960
  • Superfamily Arionoidea J.E. Gray in Turnton, 1840
  • Superfamily Athoracophoroidea
    • Family Athoracophoridae
  • Superfamily Buliminoidea Clessin, 1879
    • Family Bulimulidae
  • Superfamily Camaenoidea Pilsbry, 1895
  • Superfamily Clausilioidea Mörch, 1864
  • Superfamily Dyakioidea Gude & Woodward, 1921
  • Superfamily Gastrodontoidea Tryon, 1866
  • Superfamily Helicoidea Rafinesque, 1815
  • Superfamily Helixarionoidea Bourguignat, 1877
  • Superfamily Limacoidea Rafinesque, 1815
  • Superfamily Oleacinoidea H. & A. Adams, 1855
  • Superfamily Orthalicoidea Albers-Martens, 1860
  • Superfamily Plectopylidoidea Moellendorf, 1900
  • Superfamily Polygyroidea Pilsbry, 1894
  • Superfamily Punctoidea Morse, 1864
  • Superfamily Rhytidoidea Pilsbry, 1893
    • Family Rhytididae
  • Superfamily Sagdidoidera Pilsbry, 1895
  • Superfamily Staffordioidea Thiele, 1931
  • Superfamily Streptaxoidea J.E. Gray, 1806
  • Superfamily Strophocheiloidea Thiele, 1926
  • Superfamily Trigonochlamydoidea Hese, 1882
  • Superfamily Zonitoidea Mörch, 1864

References

External links

• Biology of Slugs
• Ohio State University slug fact sheet
• Leopard Slug Info
• [1]

• Pancake Slug (Veronicella sloanei) Info
• Land Slugs and Snails and Their Control (pub. 1959) hosted by the UNT Government Documents Department

Wikibooks has more information about Slugs in A Wikimanual of Gardening.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Stylommatophora

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
1.
n. - kugle, slurk, tår, snegl, spillemønt, hårdt slag, steg (til spatiering)
v. tr. - sluge, hælde ned

2.
v. tr. - slå hårdt
n. - hårdt slag

Nederlands (Dutch)
naaktslak, slag, drankje, eenheid van massa, kogel, muntschijfje, gezette regel

Français (French)
1.
n. - (Zool) limace, balle, pruneau (fam), lampée, (US) jeton trafiqué
v. tr. - boire une lampée, (Imprim) ajouter des caractères à

2.
v. tr. - frapper violemment
n. - coup

Deutsch (German)
1.
n. - Nacktschnecke, Larve
v. - schlagen

2.
v. - schlagen
n. - Schlag

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (ζωολ.) γυμνοσάλιαγκας, (καθομ.) βόλι, σφαίρα, βλήμα, πλίνθωμα, σβόλος, στρογγυλό κομμάτι μετάλλου
v. - χτυπώ, κοπανώ, φυτεύω σφαίρα, κατεβάζω (ποτό)

idioms:

• slug it out    αντέχω, υπομένω

Italiano (Italian)
lumacone

idioms:

• slug it out    prendersi a pugni, tener duro

Português (Portuguese)
n. - bala (f), preguiçoso (m), lesma (f), pepita (f)
v. - deformar-se, apanhar

idioms:

• slug it out    duas pessoas brigam para machucar

Русский (Russian)
слизняк, увалень, пуля, кусок металла или пластика, самородок, золотая монета в 50 долларов, жетон, сильный удар кулаком, сильное разочарование, крепкий напиток, глоток спиртного, лениться, препятствовать движению, стрелять, вести бой, сильно бить

idioms:

• slug it out    добиваться (успеха) изо всех сил

Español (Spanish)
1.
n. - babosa, bala, trago de licor
v. tr. - tomar algo de un trago, (imprenta) agregar lingotes

2.
v. tr. - aporrear, dar puñetazos
n. - puñetazo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - snigel, kula, metallklump, spelpollett, falskt mynt, rad (typogr), slurk, tår, klunk
v. - dänga till, slänga till, damma på, puckla på, drämma till

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
1. 强击, 重击, 强打

idioms:

• slug it out    决一雌雄, 比出个上下

2. 一大口, 一小杯

3. 插嵌片于

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
1.
n. - 強擊, 重擊
v. tr. - 重擊, 強打, 強擊

idioms:

• slug it out    決一雌雄, 比出個上下

2.
v. tr. - 插嵌片於

3.
n. - 一大口, 一小杯

한국어 (Korean)
1.
n. - 둥근 탄환, 달팽이
v. tr. - 크게 한 모금 마시다, ~에 탄알을 재다

2.
v. tr. - 주먹으로 구타하다, 배트로 강타하다
n. - 강타

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ナメクジ, のろのろしたもの, 弾丸, 偽造硬貨, 強打, のろのろした動物
v. - 強く殴る, かっ飛ばす

idioms:

• slug it out    闘い抜く

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) شخص أو حيوان بطيء, ألكسلان, ألبزاقه ألعريانه (فعل) يفصل ما بين ألسطور ألمنضدة برقائق, يضرب بقوة‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮שבלול, חילזון חסר-קונכייה, אסימון, כדור, קליע, שורת-סדר, לגימה של שתייה חריפה‬
v. tr. - ‮לגם לגימה גדולה, הוסיף שורת-סדר‬
v. tr. - ‮חבט בעוצמה‬
n. - ‮חבטה בעלת עוצמה‬

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