Where’s Wildlife · Snail & Slug Field Guide
Philomycus carolinianus
Pronounced (approx.): fil-oh-MY-kus kair-oh-lin-ee-AY-nus
A mottled woodland slug whose mantle extends from just behind the head to the tail.
Carolina Mantleslug. Select the photo to browse the gallery. Photographs © Where’s Wildlife.
NATIVE TO NORTH AMERICA
Slug lengths refer to extended animals; snail measurements refer to the shell.
Mantle covers the entire back
Gray or tan surface with darker mottling
Often two lengthwise rows of dark spots
Compare views, markings and body shapes in the photographs below.
Compare the complete mantle with the shorter saddle of many garden slugs. Examine the whole back and both sides; color varies.
Other mantleslugs can look very similar. The existing Carolina Mantleslug label is retained here, but these photos alone do not independently confirm the species. The quiz uses the broader answer Mantleslug.
Moist deciduous woods, floodplains and decaying logs. Adults feed on fungi and lichens. Night and damp weather.
Sheltered logs provide refuges when the surface dries. This egg-laying slug feeds on fungi and lichens and helps cycle nutrients through woodland food webs.
The covering over its back gives mantleslugs their name.
Fungi and lichens are important foods.
Loose bark and rotting wood provide shelter.
Native to eastern North America, from southern Canada into the southeastern United States and west to eastern Texas. Some older records may involve similar mantleslugs. Observation maps show reported sightings, not the full range.
Explore reported sightings on iNaturalist. Observation records are not a complete range map.
Photographs © Where’s Wildlife.