Arion intermedius

Arion intermedius

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Heterobranchia

clade Euthyneura
clade Panpulmonata
clade Eupulmonata
clade Stylommatophora
informal group Sigmurethra

Superfamily: Arionoidea
Family: Arionidae
Genus: Arion
Species: A. intermedius
Binomial name
Arion intermedius
(Normand, 1852)
Synonyms

Arion alpinus Pollonera, 1887[1]

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] It is native to Western Europe, and 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.[5]

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.[6]

It is a univoltine species, laying one brood of eggs per year, generally in the fall. Most adults do not live through the winter.[7]

As a pest

This is not considered to be a severe pest or invasive species, but some reports of such problems have been made.[5] While most exotic slugs and snails are often found in altered environments, this species has a greater potential to invade natural habitat, such as forests. It may also displace native gastropod taxa. Its ability to self-fertilize allows a single individual to enter new habitat and then reproduce.[8] It is also known as a pest of clover-seeded pastures in New Zealand.[9]

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. CSIRO & Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. 2004.
  3. 1 2 3 Arion (Kobeltia) intermedius Normand, 1852 (hedgehog slug). MolluscIreland. National Museums Northern Ireland, 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 Arion intermedius. NatureServe. 2013.
  5. 1 2 Slugs: A Guide to the Invasive and Native Fauna of California. Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. University of California. 2009.
  6. Jordaens, K., et al. (2013). Mixed breeding system in the hermaphroditic land slug Arion intermedius (Stylommatophora, Arionidae). Hereditas publ. online ahead of print 24 October 2013.
  7. Bohan, D. A., et al. (2000). Parametric intensity and the spatial arrangement of the terrestrial mollusc herbivores Deroceras reticulatum and Arion intermedius. Journal of Animal Ecology 69(6), 1031-46.
  8. 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.
  9. Barker, G. M. (1989). Slug problems in New Zealand pastoral agriculture. Monograph-British Crop Protection Council (41), 59-68.

External links

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