Arion (gastropod)
Arion is a genus of air-breathing land slugs in the family Arionidae, the roundback slugs.
Most species of this Palearctic genus are native to the Iberian Peninsula.
Species can be difficult to distinguish from one another upon cursory examination, because individuals of a species can vary in color and there are few obvious differences between taxa. The color of an individual can be influenced by its diet.
Some Arion are known as pests, such as A. lusitanicus auct. non Mabille, which damages agricultural crops and ornamental plants, and A. rufus, a familiar garden pest. Arion slugs are often transported internationally in shipments of plant products and mushrooms. Arion slugs have been identified in North America and Australia as invasive species, altering the plants of ecosystems through seed predation and competing with native slugs.
Species
There are over 40 species in the genus.Species include:Arion amygdaliformis Castillejo, Baselga, Lorenzo-Carballa, Iglesias & Gomez-Rodriguez, 2024Arion anthracius Bourguignat, 1866Arion ater - black slug
- * Arion ater rufus - red slugArion atripunctatus Dumont & Mortillet, 1853Arion baeticus Garrido, Castillejo & Iglesias, 1994Arion circumscriptus Johnston, 1828 - brown-banded arionArion distinctus Mabille, 1868 - darkface arionArion euthymeanus Florence, 1886Arion fagophilus de Winter, 1986Arion fasciatus - orange-banded arionArion flagellus Collinge, 1893Arion fuligineus Morelet, 1845Arion fuscus Arion gilvus Torres Mínguez, 1925Arion hispanicus Simroth, 1886Arion hortensis Férussac, 1819 - small striped slugArion intermedius Normand, 1852 - hedgehog slugArion iratii Garrido, Castillejo & Iglesias, 1995Arion lizarrustii Garrido, Castillejo & Iglesias, 1995Arion luisae Borrèda & Martínez-Ortí, 2014Arion lusitanicus Mabille, 1868Arion magnus Torres Mínguez, 1923Arion molinae Garrido, Castillejo & Iglesias, 1995Arion nobrei Pollonera, 1889Arion obesoductus Arion occultus R.Anderson, 2004Arion owenii Davies, 1979 - warty arionArion paularensis Wiktor & Parejo, 1989Arion ponsi Quintana, 2007Arion sibiricus Simroth, 1902Arion simrothi Künkel, 1909: synonym of Arion simrothi Künkel, 1909 Arion subfuscus - dusky arionArion timidus Morelet, 1845Arion torquiformis Castillejo, Baselga, Lorenzo-Carballa, Iglesias & Gomez-Rodriguez, 2024Arion transsylvanus Simroth, 1885Arion urbiae de Winter, 1986Arion vulgaris Moquin-Tandon, 1855 - Spanish slugArion wiktori Parejo & R. Martín, 1990
Synonyms
Arion alpinus Pollonera, 1887: synonym of Arion intermedius Normand, 1852 Arion andersonii J. G. Cooper, 1872: synonym of Prophysaon andersonii Arion anguloi ''Martín & B. Gómez, 1988: synonym of Arion urbiae de Winter, 1986 Arion aterrimus L. Pfeiffer & J. E. Gray, 1855: synonym of Oopelta aterrima Arion austeniana G. Nevill, 1880 Arion coerulens Collinge, 1897: synonym of Arion distinctus Mabille, 1868Arion cottianus Pollonera, 1889: synonym of Arion distinctus Mabille, 1868Arion elongatus Collinge, 1894: synonym of Arion hortensis A. Férussac, 1819Arion empiricorum A. Férussac, 1819: synonym of Arion ater Arion foliolatus A. Gould, 1851: synonym of Prophysaon foliolatum Arion hessei Simroth, 1894: synonym of Arion distinctus Mabille, 1868- †
Etymology
The name Arion is in reference to Aelion's De Natura Animalium, which features a story about areíones - snails which leave their shells behind to feed, thus outsmarting predators who attack the empty shells.Mentioning in literature and folklore
- Larger Arion slugs frequently appear in various forms of traditional culture, including folk traditions, children's rhymes, and historical documentation of their practical uses.
- In pre-industrial Sweden, there are historical accounts, like the one in Lorens Wolter Rothof's 1762 book, detailing the unusual practice of using the black slug as a source of grease to lubricate wooden wagon axles.