Texas AgriLife Extension reports a slimy creature called the African black slug has been discovered in Harlingen. Several specimens found in March were identified by a
scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in Beltsville, Md.
It is the second of two confirmed instances in the U.S. The first find, also in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, occurred in the 1980s, but the slugs were eradicated with a chemical pesticide.
The inch-long black slug, which has a distinctive white mark on its back, could have hitched a ride into Texas on plants, produce or turf. It was found in a new Harlingen subdivision. Residents were advised to not handle slugs and to treat their lawns with a pesticide that targets the invasive but slow-moving mollusk, said Dr. Raul Villanueva, an AgriLife Extension entomologist in Weslaco.
“Fortunately, we have never found the nematode that can be carried by the African black slug,” he said. “These nematodes, or tiny worms, pose serious health risks to humans, including meningitis. But the nematode has never been detected here. Nevertheless, it’s a good idea to thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables before consuming them.”
Harmless species of slugs native to the Valley are solid black. The African black slug is now prevalent in Asia and several islands in the Caribbean.