# worm? slug?



## bulleh (Sep 9, 2018)

Hi all,

Any one have any idea of what are in my pic? saw two of them just now crawling up my dart frog viv!


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## kimcmich (Jan 17, 2016)

Greetings,

I am sad to report you have terrestrial flatworms (often mis-identified on the board as "nemerteans"). These are likely Rhynchodemus sylvaticus which is a common pest in vivs, greenhouses, etc. It likely came in with plants.

These guys are capable arthropod predators and will compete with your frogs for fruitflies. They will also predate on your micro-fauna/cleanup crew. In small vivs, they can decimate populations. In my experience, I had an explosion of them when I first setup my viv but their population has now declined to a much smaller level and I still have isopods and springtails and small millipedes.

On the plus side: They predate upon small snails and slugs which helps protect your plants. I have never had a problem with slugs in tanks where these guys have been introduced. I have also observed, first-hand, that frogs will eat them if they happen to find them in the middle of catching a fruitfly.

Once you've got them, they are very hard to eliminate short of tearing-down your tank and starting over from fresh components. You can catch them when you see them - but they are most common after the lights go out and catching the ones you see won't have much effect on the population.


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## bulleh (Sep 9, 2018)

Thanks for your detailed response.

I guess my frogs and I will have to live with them! hopefully they will just be an added treat for the frogs.

Thanks again.


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## jonnam (Jul 2, 2017)

Well, I would say they have been eaten almost all my springtails in a big vivarium. Isopods are doing fine and also snails with shells (I don’t know the correct species). I have decreased them by collecting them a couple of times per night after lights were off after misting for a couple of weeks. But really nasty ones they are and they are aleays there ready to expand the population..


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## Erik Hammerberg (10 mo ago)

kimcmich said:


> Greetings,
> 
> I am sad to report you have terrestrial flatworms (often mis-identified on the board as "nemerteans"). These are likely Rhynchodemus sylvaticus which is a common pest in vivs, greenhouses, etc. It likely came in with plants.
> 
> ...


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## Erik Hammerberg (10 mo ago)

Any idea on specific identification? I would really like to research their ins and outs.

thank you


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

Erik Hammerberg said:


> Any idea on specific identification? I would really like to research their ins and outs.
> 
> thank you





kimcmich said:


> Rhynchodemus sylvaticus


If not this, what is it you're asking?


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