Eleutherocaulis haroldi, the caterpillar slug, is a species of tropical land slug in the family Veronicellidae, the leatherleaf slugs. It was first formally named Laevicaulis haroldi in 1980. Also known as Purcell’s hunter slug, it is a native of South Africa and has now spread to several parts of India. According to a study, it might become an invasive species in India. An invasive species can be any living organism, an amphibian, plant, insect, fish, fungus, or bacterium, or its seeds or eggs, that is not indigenous to the ecosystem and can cause harm to it. Invasive species can harm the environment, the economy, or human health. 

It feeds on the leaves and barks of plants.

Photos and text by Prerna Jain.