Cool, of troy! Taking your lead, I googled "slug maximus Europe introduced" and found many links. Here's a bit from one of them:

The Pacific Northwest has several native slugs. The biggest is the banana slug, Ariolimax columbianus. Some of them are huge, growing up to 10 inches long and weighing a remarkable one-quarter pound. Many hikers have seen banana slugs, which are often yellowish, tan, or brown but may be any shade from white to black. Since they (both hikers and banana slugs) hang out in the woods, staying as far away as possible from urban environments, the banana slug, like the other native slugs, are rarely a problem for gardeners.

In stark (and some would add raving) contrast, the introduced slugs are the bane of every gardener’s existence. They include the ubiquitous European Black Slug, Arion ater, which is so different from native slugs that slug scientists put it in a different genus. The Black Slug is the one with the ridges and furrows on the back of its body. Like black bears, it comes in several colors, including brown. Another introduced slug, this one from Asia Minor and Europe, is the Great Gray Garden Slug, Limax maximus. Somehow even more revolting than the black slugs, this one has a smooth, gray body with darker stripes and spots. A couple other slimy species creep around at night outdoors. Another one lives in greenhouses and other warm, cozy spots. These imports were most likely stow-aways, arriving with plants.

If the slugs weren’t bad enough, we also have snails. For those, we can thank an unnamed gourmet who arrived in gold rush San Francisco in the 1850s with a craving for escargot. He imported snails, some of whom apparently thought life on the lam was preferable to the alternative—a date with a pool of sizzling garlic butter. Not only did the escapees survive, they flourished. Eventually, they began moving north, hitching rides hidden in pots and plants.


I lost the url; sorry.

That banana slug, measuring ten inches, doesn't sound like something I'd like to find crawling over my sleeping bag in the dead of night!

Now we have the title to the horror film that will follow "Slugs":

"Revenge of the Banana Slugs."

Mebbe Chiquita will sponsor our directorial efforts.