Angustipes ameghini (Gambetta, 1923) Black-velvet Leatherleaf

    This invasive species was initially found under a small piece of wood near a retention pond/lake at Baker Skinner Park in southern Duval County, Florida on 7/12/2005.  Despite a search of the general area the same date and during many follow-up visits, no additional slugs of any ilk were found. During the next 17 months and hundreds of collecting trips in the county, no further examples of this species were seen. Finally on 1/5/2007 two additional specimens (an adult and a juvenile) were found under a piece of cardboard  in a drainage ditch near a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant at 10770 Beach Blvd. in Duval County. Additional trips to the same location over the next several months proved that the species was very common at this particular station. Subsequently on 5/18/2007, a specimen was discovered crawling across a sidewalk following rain at a veterinary clinic at 2520 St. Johns Bluff Road  - a location about 1 1/2 miles distant from the Kentucky Fried Chicken drainage ditch on Beach Boulevard. A second specimen was found at the veterinary clinic on 5/23/2007. These finds/observations suggest that the species is widespread in the county - but apparently quite uncommon.

To the best of our knowledge, these discoveries represent the first time that this species has officially been recorded from the county or even northeast Florida. The species was originally described from Paraguay and first detected in the United States (Mobile AL, and New Orleans LA) in 1960 (Dundee and Watt, 1961). The species has been found in Florida since at least the early 1980's.

Dundee, D. S. and P. Watt, 1961. Louisiana land snails with new records. The Nautilus 75(2): 79-83. Oct

Addendum: In an Email of 7/27/2007 Mr. Ed Cutright reported that his daughter recently found a specimen of Angustipes ameghini in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina (identification by a College of Charleston biologist) - a location some 200 miles north northeast of Duval County, Florida.  This find was reported to the U. S. Department of Agriculture and the state Department of Natural Resources.  Images of the South Carolina Specimen

In an Email of 10/21/2007 Medina Franco, who resides in the Arlington/Ft. Caroline area of Jacksonville, reported finding a specimen of the slug on her back porch - backed up with photographic evidence. Ms. Franco subsequently discovered and photographed a second specimen on the sidewalk in her front yard on 6/9/2008. This location is about seven miles northwest of the Beach Boulevard find described above and provides further evidence that the species is present throughout Duval County. 

Baker Skinner Park

Beach Boulevard