Have you spotted the rare Lemon Slug in Sussex?
The Lemon Slug (Malacolimax tenellus) is a rare mollusc species, vibrant yellow in colour with dark tentacles.
It is usually up to about 4cm in length and feeds on mushrooms, so is often seen on or near wild mushrooms.
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Hide AdThis means that October and November can be a particularly good time to spot it.
The Lemon Slug is thought to survive in the remaining fragments of ancient woodland in England, and is likely to have declined with the deforestation of the country over the last few centuries.
However, the true distribution of the Lemon Slug remains a mystery.
The slugs are thought only to emerge as adults and feed in the open for a few weeks a year.
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Hide AdThis makes it very difficult to collect data on this elusive species.
To make matters worse, very few people have ever heard of the Lemon Slug, and even less know what it looks like and know how to submit records if they see it.
To try to understand more about where this species survives and what it’s habitat requirements are, the Species Recovery Trust is trying to encourage more people to go out and look for the slug.
The Species Recovery Trust is a conservation charity that aims to protect the rarest species in the country, even if they are not the prettiest or most popular creatures!
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Hide AdA spokesperson from the Trust said: “There are a number of historical records of the Lemon Slug from Sussex, but we need more up to date information to know if the species still survives there.
“So if you spot a bright yellow slug please record the location, take a photo if possible, and above all, please let us know (email [email protected]).
Dominic Price, Director of the Species Recovery Trust, said: “It’s really important for the future of rare species that we know more about where they survive. The more people out there looking for the Lemon Slug, the greater the chance we have to protect it.”