a high-water mark on the seashore. Feeding habits Limax maximus is omnivorous. It is a detrivore, cleaning up dead plants and fungi, and a carnivore known to pursue other slugs at a top speed of per minute. It is listed as a major agricultural pest by the Institute of Food and Agricultural Science Florida. Life cycle The eggs of this slug are deposited in a cluster, slightly attached to each other. Eggs are transparent, elastic and slightly yellowish in color. The size of the egg is 6×4.5 mm. They hatch in about a month. The tiny slugs which emerge from the eggs need at least two years to reach sexual maturity. The lifespan of Limax maximus is 2.5–3 years. Mating The mating habits of Limax maximus are considered unusual among slugs: the hermaphrodite slugs court, usually for hours, by circling and licking each other. After this, the slugs will climb into a tree or other high area and then, entwined together, lower themselves on a thick string of mucus, evert their white translucent mating organs (penises) from their gonopores (openings on the right side of the head), entwine these organs, and exchange sperm. Both participants will later lay hundreds of eggs. Parasites Parasites of Limax maximus include the nematode Agfa flexilis, which lives in its salivary glands, the nematode Angiostoma limacis, which lives in its rectum, and Angiostrongylus costaricensis. Like some other slugs, this species is often infested by the white parasitic slug mite Riccardoella limacum. This mite swarms its body and invades its respiratory cavity. A meningitis-causing nematode, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, which normally infests the lungs of rats, has a larval stage which can only live in molluscs, including slugs. This nematode was once known to be a problem only in tropical areas, but it has since spread to other regions. Live slugs that are accidentally eaten with improperly cleaned vegetables, such as lettuce, or slugs which have been improperly cooked, can act as vectors for the parasite. Gallery References This article incorporates public domain text from references. Spencer, H.G., Marshall, B.A. & Willan, R.C. (2009). Checklist of New Zealand living Mollusca. pp 196–219 in Gordon, D.P. (ed.) New Zealand inventory of biodiversity. Volume one. Kingdom Animalia: Radiata, Lophotrochozoa, Deuterostomia. Canterbury University Press, Christchurch. Notes External links Limax maximus at Animalbase taxonomy,short description, distribution, biology,status (threats), images Images of Mating Giant Garden Slug, Aliens Among Us. Virtual Exhibit of the