Arion intermedius

Arion intermedius is a species of land slug in the family Arionidae, the roundback slugs. It is known commonly as the hedgehog slug,[2][3] hedgehog arion, or glade slug.[4]

Arion intermedius
A. intermedius showing characteristically prickley tubercles

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Order: Stylommatophora
Family: Arionidae
Genus: Arion
Species:
A. intermedius
Binomial name
Arion intermedius
(Normand, 1852)
Synonyms

Arion alpinus Pollonera, 1887[1]

Distribution

It is native to Western Europe and a part of Central Europe. It is native to Czechia where majority of its records come from various types of forests.[5] It is non-native to Slovakia since 2020.[5] It is known as an introduced species in many other regions, including North America, Australia, New Zealand, North Africa, South Africa, and the Pacific Islands.[4]

Description

This slug is 1.5 to 2 centimeters long. It is variable in color and patterning, being white, orange, or gray, with or without banding, and it has gray tentacles and a yellow or orange sole. It becomes compact and "nearly bell-shaped" when contracted.[3] The tubercles that texture the dorsal surface of its body taper to sharp, prickle-like points, inspiring the common name hedgehog slug.[3]

Biology

This species occurs in natural habitat such as grasslands and forests, and on cultivated or otherwise human-altered land, such as pastures, orchards, and hedges.[4] It feeds on plants and fungi.[6]

For a long time, this hermaphroditic slug was thought to reproduce only by self-fertilization; solitary captive specimens produced offspring and the species had never been observed mating. Genetic analysis provided evidence of crossing and the species is now believed to have a mixed breeding system, with an individual having the ability to fertilize itself or cross-fertilize, exchanging sperm with a mate.[7]

In the wild it has one generation per year (univoltine), with all individuals maturing rather synchronously in autumn.[8] Adults die over winter or early spring.[9][8]

As a pest

This is not considered to be a severe pest, but some reports of such problems have been made.[6] While most exotic slugs and snails are often found in altered environments, this species has a greater tendency to invade natural habitat, such as forests. Its ability to self-fertilize allows a single individual to enter new habitat and then reproduce.[10] It is also known as a pest of clover-seeded pastures in New Zealand.[11]

References
  1. Manganelli G., et al. (2010). The status of Arion alpinus Pollonera 1887, and re-description of Arion obesoductus Reischütz 1973 (Gastropoda, Arionidae). Journal of Conchology 40, 269-76.
  2. Arion intermedius Normand. Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine CSIRO & Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. 2004.
  3. Arion (Kobeltia) intermedius Normand, 1852 (hedgehog slug). MolluscIreland. National Museums Northern Ireland, 2010.
  4. Arion intermedius. NatureServe. 2013.
  5. Čejka, Tomáš; Beran, Luboš; Coufal, Radovan; Dvořák, Libor; Hlaváč, Jaroslav Č; Horáčková, Jitka; Horsáková, Veronika; Juřičková, Lucie; Kosová, Tereza; Čačaný, Juraj; Szabóová, Dana (2021-09-16). "Malacological news from the Czech and Slovak Republics in 2020". Malacologica Bohemoslovaca. 20: 56–74. doi:10.5817/MaB2021-20-56. ISSN 1336-6939.
  6. Slugs: A Guide to the Invasive and Native Fauna of California. Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. University of California. 2009.
  7. Jordaens, K.; Van Houte, N.; Helsen, P.; Breugelmans, K.; Jaksons, P.; Backeljau, t. (2013). "Mixed breeding system in the hermaphroditic land slug Arion intermedius (Stylommatophora, Arionidae)". Hereditas. 150 (4–6): 45–52. doi:10.1111/j.1601-5223.2013.02272.x. PMID 24164457.
  8. Hutchinson, J.M.C.; Reise, H.; Skujienė, G. (2017). "Life cycles and adult sizes of five co-occurring species of Arion slugs". Journal of Molluscan Studies. 83: 88–105. doi:10.1093/mollus/eyw042.
  9. Bohan, D.A.; Glen, D.M.; Wiltshire, C.W.; Hughes, L. (2000). "Parametric intensity and the spatial arrangement of the terrestrial mollusc herbivores Deroceras reticulatum and Arion intermedius". Journal of Animal Ecology. 69 (6): 1031–1046. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2656.2000.00459.x.
  10. Cádiz, F. J. and C. S. Gallardo. (2007). Arion intermedius (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora); first record of this introduced slug in Chile, with notes on its anatomy and natural history. Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 80(1), 99-108.
  11. Barker, G. M. (1989). Slug problems in New Zealand pastoral agriculture. Monograph-British Crop Protection Council (41), 59-68.
  • Spencer, H.G., Marshall, B.A. & Willan, R.C. (2009). Checklist of New Zealand living Mollusca. Pp 196-219 in Gordon, D.P. (ed.) New Zealand inventory of biodiversity. Volume one. Kingdom Animalia: Radiata, Lophotrochozoa, Deuterostomia. Canterbury University Press, Christchurch.
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