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Red-triangle Slug
Conservation status: Least Concern
Red-triangle Slugs can be found in eastern Queenland and New South Wales, as well as in Victoria and South Australia.
As their common name suggests, these slugs are easily identified by a bright red triangular-shaped
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Scientific Classification
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Mollusca
Gastropoda
Stylommatophora
Athoracophoridae
Triboniophorus
graeffei
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marking on their back. They also have a red line running along the edge of the foot.
The slugs' bodies come in a range of colours - white, grey, green, cream, yellow, orange, pink and red. This variation in colour suggests that Triboniophorus graeffei might actually be a number of species that are as yet unrecognised. The Red-triangle Slugs in Girraween are a creamy-grey, which is the usual colour form.
Red-triangle Slugs are said to be Australia's largest species of slug, growing up to 14 cm in length. They breathe air through a pore which is visible on the slug's back within the red triangle. The triangle is all that remains of the slug's ancient ancestors' shell.
This species can be found in a variety of habitats - rainforest, dry forest and even in city gardens. It shelters from the sun during the day and comes out at night and in rainy weather to feed on algae and lichen. The slug's feeding tracks look like lines of small, circular markings and can be found on the smooth bark of some Eucalypts, rocks, house walls and fences.
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