07 June 2019, 11:15 PM
BernardGarden slugs
The things one learns as a gardener ... I decided to find out more about slugs--those ubiquitous gastropods that can wipe out your seedlings in a flash. Emphases mine.quote:Slugs are hermaphrodites, having both female and male reproductive organs.[10] Once a slug has located a mate, they encircle each other and sperm is exchanged through their protruded genitalia. A few days later, the slugs lay approximately thirty eggs in a hole in the ground, or beneath the cover of an object such as a fallen log.
Apophallation has been reported only in some species of banana slug (Ariolimax) and one species of Deroceras. In the banana slugs, the penis sometimes becomes trapped inside the body of the partner. Apophallation allows the slugs to separate themselves by one or both of the slugs chewing off the other's or their own penis. Once the penis has been discarded, banana slugs are still able to mate using only the female parts of the reproductive system.
