A Terrestrial snail sucker, a snake common to South America, has been caught feasting on an invasive bean slug in a car park in Mexico.
This finding could lead to new methods of control for this invasive species, with important implications for food security and human health.
"It is unknown how long the bean slug has been established in Mexico," Manuel de Luna, a researcher from the Herpetological Society of Northeast Mexico, told Newsweek.
"It is widespread, from America to Asia, as well as some European countries. It is very adaptable and will thrive in any environment that is hot and humid."
Photo of a Terrestrial snail sucker eating a bean slug. Bean slugs are an invasive species with serious implications for food security and human health.Photo of a Terrestrial snail sucker eating a bean slug. Bean slugs are an invasive species with serious implications for food security and human health.Roberto GarcÃa Barrios/Sociedad Herpetologica del Noreste de MexicoResearchers believe the slug originated somewhere in South America but has since spread across the globe.
The slug is a serious pest for a variety of important crop plants, such as beans, chilies, tomatoes and cucumbers, but it also has serious medical implications.
The bean slug is an intermediate host for rat lungworm, a parasitic nematode that can cause gastroenteritis and neuromuscular damage in humans.
"The larvae inside the snail [or slug] reside in the tissue and are constantly shed in the mucus, which can infect anything it touches," de Luna said.
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As the name suggests, rat lungworm is ultimately a parasite of rodents.
The adult form only exists inside rats, where it produces larvae which pass out in the animal's feces.
Snails and slugs then get infected by ingesting these larvae, which mature inside the mollusks. Eventually, the infected mollusk is eaten by a rat and the cycle starts again.
"Infecting the mollusk is not the final goal of the worm, no, it is merely a step ... which is used by the worm to get to its final destination, a warm-blooded animal, the definitive host," de Luna said.
Stock image of a rat on a river bank. Rats are the definitive host of rat lungowmr.Stock image of a rat on a river bank. Rats are the definitive host of rat lungowmr.CreativeNature_nl/GettyIf a human eats an infected mollusk, either directly or accidentally through raw vegetables that have been contaminated with slime, they can become infected. In many cases, they will exhibit no symptoms.
However, in rare cases the lungworm larvae can cause eosinophilic meningitis, a potentially fatal infection of the brain.
The discovery that the common Terrestrial snail sucker is a natural predator of these sinister slugs could have massive implications for the control of this invasive species.
"I'd say that [the snakes] are very common, albeit quite secretive," de Luna said. "Although human activities certainly have taken a toll on them, as with many other species, they are adaptable and prolific, as long as there are plenty of snails, slugs, and earthworms they can survive."
Several other snake species have been seen feasting on the bean slugs too. "They seem pretty popular among native slug-eating predators," de Luna said.
