A STICKY SITUATION
Why don’t slug mites stick to their hosts?
Little detailed work has been done on slug mites, and one enduring mystery surrounding these fascinating parasites is why they don’t stick to slug mucous. What mechanisms allow them to skip lightly across the grey gel?
Many other arachnids utilise a hydrophobic (water-repelling) secretion on their feet so that they can operate in wet conditions. Since slug slime is a liquid crystal mostly comprised of water, why would this not work for these mites too?