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Project Noah Nature School
Euborellia annulipes
Pretty yellow eggs, oval-shaped and piled in a heap. The entire clump of eggs was about 1-1.5 cm in diameter. I don't know the exact species, but I'm guessing Ring-Legged Earwig based on my location in Georgia.
Stuck to underside of plastic gutter drain in flowerbed next to house.
I had originally identified these as Three-Band Gardenslug eggs (Lehmannia valentiana), because I saw a slug of that species right next to them when I found them. Commenters suggested that they were earwig eggs instead, and that seems correct.
Incidentally, if you're interested in seeing some newly hatched Lehmannia valentiana slugs, I'm in the process of posting some pictures on my blog. They're only about 0.5 cm long and so adorable!
You're very welcome. I enjoy discussing these things. And you're exactly right about the slugs: they are basically mothers to one set of eggs and father to another, although it gets tricky if an individual mates more than once: which sperm to use? Decisions, decisions. Haha, I'm interested now to see if you find any more of those eggs. I found my earwig eggs under a bordering-brick, so I guess it's best to literally not leave any stone unturned!
By the way, my earwig mother seems to be moving her eggs deeper and deeper into her burrow. I guess she's tired of my uncovering her home every day and thinks if I can't see the eggs I'll lose interest!
Wow, thanks for all that information!
(I did know that slugs are hermaphroditic; I guess they could be called both "mother" and "father"! Maybe mother to one set of eggs and father to another? So strange.)
Unfortunately, I never got to see what these eggs hatched into. I checked back a couple days later, and they were just gone. If they were laid by an earwig or similar insect, maybe the parent moved them after my intrusion. I'll have to look for more this spring.
No, I'm pretty sure you identified the slug correctly. The features point towards Lehmannia valentiana. So that's not an issue. Now, I've seen several clutches of L. valentiana eggs in my yard (that's our predominant slug species) and they look nothing like your eggs. From my observation, courting among L. valentiana occurs after investigation by tentacles. It involves trail following (where one slug follows another over some distance), circling (the slugs get into a sort of yin-yang position), and nibbling body mucus. The pair you observed was engaging in tentacle investigation (a precourtship phase) but obviously they didn't form a partnership, as they soon separated. There are evidently criteria involved in selecting a mate, which even scientists debate.
I wouldn't call a slug a "mother" as they're hermaphroditic, meaning they possess both male and female organs, performing both roles. Typically both mating partners donate sperm during copulation and after a few days both lay eggs.
Looking at photos of Leopard Slug eggs, those don't match your eggs either. My inclination is still towards earwigs, but earwigs don't lay that many eggs and the shape is still too elongated. The only certain way to identify the species is to observe what the eggs hatch into. If you spot any more yellow eggs, make a note and check them frequently. Most creatures seem to take at least several days to hatch. But depending on the temperature, the incubation period may be as long as a few months. It's hard to be patient. I know from experience. But it's worth it to solve the mystery. However, in the South the temperature usually doesn't get too cold to halt all invertebrate life.
I think stickiness is a common characteristic of mollusk eggs, but isn't always present in insect eggs.
Hmmm, maybe I misidentified the slug. Here's the spotting of the slug I thought might be the mother: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/106...
I also saw several pairs of these slugs on the side of my house one night, doing what looked like courting (not mating yet, but I'm pretty sure that's what those critters had on their minds!). That was on the wall right above this gutter, and it was only a couple of weeks after this spotting. Here are the amorous mollusks: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/108...
The other species of slug I've seen in my yard is Spotted Leopard Slug, though that was out in the woods in a rotting log:
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/101...
I'm sure there are tons of slug and snail species out there I just haven't spotted yet.
These eggs were in a STICKY clump, if that helps at all. The eggs were stuck onto the underside of the gutter. (I had flipped it over.)
I'm glad I could be of some assistance. In terms of size, I don't think the clump is too large. 1-1.5 cm is pretty small, around the diameter of the clump of earwig eggs I found. Earwigs can be up to 2.5 cm long, European earwigs around 2 cm long. Also, when I first found my earwig eggs, the mother was hiding in her burrow, not protecting them. She moved the eggs into the burrow later. So an earwig may have laid your eggs in the gutter to move later. Earwigs can overwinter as eggs, and they can lay eggs in either spring or fall.
In terms of the shape, though, I think maybe your eggs are too elongated for an earwig to have laid them. Earwig eggs are oval, but not quite that long, in my understanding. I don't think these are the eggs of a flying insect (they would be upright and more ordered), so it must be a creature on the ground. Do you have any other species of slugs in your yard? Do you have any species of land snail? Some snails can lay quite a clump of eggs.
jcfoster71 - Thanks for the suggestion! I never would have thought of an earwig. I do have a few reservations about these being earwig eggs, though:
1. I didn't see an earwig there (she could have been hiding).
2. The eggs seem too large for an earwig; the pile would be several times her own size.
3. Earwigs usually lay their eggs in a hole in the dirt, but these were stuck to the bottom of the gutter thingy.
4. I found them in the spring. Earwigs lay eggs in fall or winter. They do bring them out of their hole in the spring, but they arrange them in a single layer (for hatching), not a pile.
Still, you may be right. I'll have to look into this more later. How interesting that earwigs are good mothers! I have a new respect for the nasty-looking things :)
From my observation, Lehmannia valentiana doesn't show any parental care after laying eggs. I also have this species of slug in my yard, and its eggs are clear, not yellow. I'm not sure why Terrestrial Mollusc Tool lists them as such, because I've seen baby Lehmannia valentiana slugs hatching from whitish eggs. As for your eggs, I've seen a clump of similar-looking ones in my yard, and they belong to a female earwig (Forficula auricularia). Earwig mothers do guard their eggs and move them to shelter.
Ok, I just added a photo of the adult (hiding in the corner) and the eggs (which appear white because they're overexposed). It didn't turn out that well, but it's the only one I've got with both.
Yes, I got photos of the proud parent :) The spotting I posted right before this one is of the adult.
Do you have a picture of the slug? would like to see it/or maybe I will look up google images.
Spotted on Apr 26, 2012
Submitted on Apr 27, 2012
