brown slug vs Common corncockle

Deroceras laeve compared with Agrostemma githago

Key Differences

brown slug is Least Concern while Common corncockle is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	brown slug	Common corncockle
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Stylommatophora (Stylommatophora)	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)
Family	Agriolimacidae	Caryophyllaceae
Genus	Deroceras	Agrostemma
Species	Deroceras laeve	Agrostemma githago

Conservation Status

brown slug

LC — Least Concern

Common corncockle

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	brown slug	Common corncockle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

brown slug

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, among 7 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Cabo Verde, Sao Tome and Principe, South Africa), Asia (4 countries), Europe (9 countries), North America (Guatemala, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand), and South America (5 countries).

Common corncockle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including montane grasslands and shrublands, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, and temperate coniferous forests, among 13 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Lesotho), Asia (7 countries), Europe (24 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Brazil, Chile). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

brown slug

The Brown Slug (Deroceras laeve) is a species in the genus Deroceras. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, among 7 distinct biome types. Populations are also fo

Common corncockle

<em>Agrostemma githago</em>, commonly known as common corncockle, is an annual flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. Once a widespread weed of cereal crops across Europe, Asia, and beyond, this species is now Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to the dramatic decline caused by modern agricultural practices, particularly improved grain cleaning and herbicide use. Corncockle is a tall, slender plant covered in silky white hairs, bearing large, solitary pink to purple flowers with distinctive dark veining. Its seeds contain toxic saponin compounds called githagins, which historically contaminated grain supplies. The species now survives primarily in wildflower conservation areas, seed banks, and traditional farmland conservation schemes. It typically grows in open, disturbed arable soils with full sun exposure. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.