Common slug
| Common slug | ||||||||||||
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Common slug ( Arion distinctus ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Arion distinctus | ||||||||||||
| ( Mabille , 1868) |
The common slug ( Arion distinctus ), also known as the common garden slug , is a slug from the family of slugs (Arionidae), which belongs to the suborder of land snails (Stylommatophora).
features
The common slug is about 3 to 5 cm long when stretched. The jacket shield takes up about a quarter of the total body length when stretched. The back is colored yellow to brown-gray by finely distributed yellow pigment dots. Separated by a light vertical stripe, another dark stripe (side band) follows on each side. The stripe pattern on the coat shield is identical, but offset from the stripes on the foot. The dark side stripe surrounds the breathing hole. The first row of wrinkles is again brightly colored directly on the edge of the sole. The sole itself is colored light yellow. The head and antennae are blue-gray to black.
Geographical distribution, occurrence and way of life
The species occurs predominantly in the cultivated landscape, in gardens, fields and parks, more rarely also on wastelands. It is widespread in Western and Central Europe. In the southeast it occurs to Bulgaria. In the northeast, the species has been detected as far as the Baltic States. In the north the distribution area extends to southern Scandinavia. She has since been abducted to North America.
Systematics
The species was previously united with the garden slug ( Arion hortensis ) to form one species. In more recent studies, however, the common slug is consistently viewed as an independent species. Both species occur together in many areas of Central Europe. A more recent synonym of the common slug is Arion cottianus Pollonera 1889. Some authors divide the genus Arion into four sub-genera. In this structure the common slug is placed under the subgenus Arion (Kobeltia) Seibert, 1873.
Individual evidence
- ↑ G. Skujiene: Arion distinctus Mabille, 1868 (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Arionidae) in Lithuania. Acta Zoologica Lituanica, 14 (2): 71-76, Vilnius 2006
literature
- Rosina Fechter, Gerhard Falkner: Mollusks. 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
