Yellow-striped slug
| Yellow-striped slug | ||||||||||||
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Yellow-striped slug ( Arion fasciatus ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Arion fasciatus | ||||||||||||
| ( Nilsson , 1823) |
The yellow-striped slug ( Arion fasciatus ) is a slug from the family of slugs (Arionidae), which is subordinate to the land snail (Stylommatophora).
description
The yellow-striped slug measures about 4 to 5 cm when stretched out, and in exceptional cases up to 70 mm. The back is yellow-brown to gray-brown; the colors become paler over the sides towards the foot and whitish on the foot. The sides have faded, somewhat darker lateral ligaments, which are bordered by a yellowish zone towards the foot. The right lateral ligament runs above the breathing opening. The sole is gray-white, the slime colorless. The back shows a very weak keel. The young animals are light gray to light brown with dark lateral bands and a somewhat clearer keel. The atrium of the genital apparatus is relatively large, the epiphallus wider than the vas deferens. The oviduct is relatively narrow and about as long as the epiphallus. The sperm library is elongated.
Way of life, occurrence and distribution
The species prefers to live in open, cultivated areas, in gardens, parks, but also in wastelands. It prefers to eat fresh plant material. The distribution area extends over western, central and northern Europe.
Systematics
The independence of the three species Arion fasciatus (Nilsson, 1823) (yellow-striped slug), Arion silvaticus Lohmander, 1937 ( forest slug ) and Arion circumscriptus Johnston, 1828 ( gray slug ) was questioned in 2006 by Sofie Geenen and co-authors. They found neither consistent features in genital anatomy nor sufficient differences in DNA studies. They attribute the differences in color to the establishment of color variants through longer phases of self-fertilization. Should these results be confirmed, Arion silvaticus Lohmander, 1937 and Arion circumscriptus Johnston, 1828 would be more recent synonyms of Arion fasciatus (Nilsson, 1823). All three species are placed in the subgenus Arion (Carinarion) Hesse, 1926, which is not used by some authors .
differences
The two closely related species A. circumscriptus and A. silvaticus differ in the lack of the yellowish background color of the body. Usually these species are smaller than A. fasciatus .
Individual evidence
literature
- Rosina Fechter and Gerhard Falkner: molluscs. 287 pp., Munich, Mosaik-Verlag 1990 (Steinbach's Nature Guide 10), ISBN 3-570-03414-3
- Michael P. Kerney, RAD Cameron, Jürgen H. Jungbluth: The land snails of Northern and Central Europe. 384 pp., Paul Parey, Hamburg and Berlin 1983, ISBN 3-490-17918-8
- Sofie Geenen, Kurt Jordaens, Thierry Backeljau: Molecular systematics of the Carinarion complex (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Pulmonata): a taxonomic riddle caused by a mixed breeding system. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 89 (4): 589-604, London 2006 doi : 10.1111 / j.1095-8312.2006.00693.x