new slug?

[Fritillary]

I am quite surprised that a carnivourous slug found in Cardiff has been declared as new species and given a scientific name when it looks the species is already known in Turkey and Georgia.

Even they express that "It was probably introduced to Britain in plant pots, making it an 'alien' species, although we can't be certain..."We're concerned that it might become a pest, but we need to find out more about it first.""

So why do scientists are very excited about this slug and not for another invaders that arrive to the country?? (thinking of animals and plants, like the harlequin ladybrid for example). Any of you have un idea
BBC NEWS | Wales | South East Wales | Worm-eating slug found in garden

[thunder]

What makes you think that people are not very excited about other "invaders"? Look at the posts there are on Harlequin Ladybirds!

henrya

[Fritillary]

My question is why do taxonomes put a scientific name to a species that already exist (and they know it exists) and it is an invader.

As you see with Harlequin ladybird and any other invader, generally there are concerns about problems that they could produce on the community.

[Jason Green]

I've never heard of a Carnivorous slug, so the thought of something like this, coupled with the fact that as you say it's only found from 'Turkey and Georgia'. This is presumably the reason for the excitement.

I'm sure the harlequin was equally exciting INITIALY until they realised the detrimental effect it was having.

As for scientific names - the environment in Turkey and Georgia would be quite different to that of the UK, so maybe the name thing will just be a SUB species but called a NEW scientific classification by the media?

It's obviously quite something for Wales!

[RobinP]

Perhaps it will eat all the New Zealand flatworms?

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by Jason Green

I've never heard of a Carnivorous slug, so the thought of something like this, coupled with the fact that as you say it's only found from 'Turkey and Georgia'. This is presumably the reason for the excitement.

I'm sure the harlequin was equally exciting INITIALY until they realised the detrimental effect it was having.

As for scientific names - the environment in Turkey and Georgia would be quite different to that of the UK, so maybe the name thing will just be a SUB species but called a NEW scientific classification by the media?

It's obviously quite something for Wales!

We already had a slug that ate earthworms- the Shelled Slug, Testacella scutulum. Other slugs will oppurtunistically eat other critters such as emerging dragonfly larvae.

[RobSutton]

Originally Posted by Fritillary

My question is why do taxonomes put a scientific name to a species that already exist (and they know it exists) and it is an invader.
.

Reading the report it seems like it is something that has not been described before, so if they are correct it, in fact, didn't already exist and therefore needed a name:

"The Ghost Slug belongs to an obscure and almost unpronounceable group of slugs - the Trigonochlamydidae," said Ben Rowson, a biologist at National Museum Cardiff.

"We had to thumb through lots of old publications in Russian and German to find anything like them - but then discovered they were something entirely new."

After studying the slug's anatomy, the scientists realised it was an undescribed species and christened the creature with the name adapted from the Welsh word for ghost, ysbryd."


Seems reasonable enough to me.

[Fritillary]

Robsutton, yes it looks clear, but I was thinking about what odd it is the discovering of new species today because

Now a species could be discovered far away from their native comunity being an exotic species so they have to "rediscover" in its possible native community.

Posible this slug species is from Turkey but who knows??