The hot pink Australian slug Triboniophorus aff. graeffei (Photo by Michael Murphy/NPWS)
Two of the main subjects of this blog are mollusks and colors. One might reasonably believe that the two topics intersect most vividly in the form of nudibranch mollusks—the insanely colorful sea slugs which enliven even the coral reef with garish beauty. However in 2013 scientists discovered a brilliantly colored slug on land. Triboniophorus aff. graeffei was discovered on Mount Kaputar (which is part of the Nandewar range of Australia. The slug is brilliant fluorescent pink and grows to 20 centimeters (8 inches) in length.
The hot pink Australian slug Triboniophorus aff. graeffei (Photo by Michael Murphy/NPWS)
Australia is famous for being arid—and dryness mixes poorly with slugs (in fact most mollusks prefer to be moist). Mount Nandewar however is an exception to the general climate of the island continent. A long-ago volcanic eruption sealed off a tiny corner of lush rainforest from the desertification which affected the rest of Australia. The hot pink slugs and their rainforest are in a little time capsule left from the great lush forests of Gondwana. It has been speculated that the bright pink coloration helps the slugs blend in with bright red tropical eucalyptus trees of Mount Nandewar—yet, since the slugs are not always on or near such trees their brilliant 1980s color scheme remains a mystery.
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May 8, 2014 at 6:37 AM
agnesashe
Gosh – that is an enormous very brightly coloured slug. I couldn’t believe my eyes at first. Perhaps its successful survival is due to its colour actually deterring/scaring its predators. I’m glad I’d already had my breakfast!
May 9, 2014 at 4:39 PM
Wayne
Hahaha! I have always kind of liked that neon cerise color, but that might have something to do with hitting puberty in the 1980s. Slugs in general are pretty unappetizing: would you feel better if it were acid green or liver colored?
May 10, 2014 at 5:49 AM
agnesashe
Actually, thinking about it, it wasn’t so much the colour, although that does grab your attention, so much as the size of the slimy critter. In general I’m a fan of hot pink and acid green. Yup, I think liver coloured would be unpleasant, but a giant beige slug would be the worst.
May 10, 2014 at 1:10 PM
Wayne
I think I might have worked for a giant beige slug back in the nineties.
May 10, 2014 at 2:56 PM
agnesashe
What a coincidence, so did I – he always called me Thelma for some reason.
May 12, 2014 at 9:07 PM
Wayne
🙂