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Arion (gastropod)
Genus of gastropods From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Arion is a genus of air-breathing land slugs in the family Arionidae, the roundback slugs. [2]
Most species of this Palearctic genus are native to the Iberian Peninsula.[3]
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.[4] The color of an individual can be influenced by its diet.[5]
Some Arion are known as pests, such as A. lusitanicus auct. non Mabille (= A. vulgaris), which damages agricultural crops and ornamental plants, and A. rufus, a familiar garden pest.[6] Arion slugs are often transported internationally in shipments of plant products and mushrooms.[7] 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.[8]
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Species
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There are over 40 species in the genus.[5][9]
Species include:
- Arion amygdaliformis Castillejo, Baselga, Lorenzo-Carballa, Iglesias & Gomez-Rodriguez, 2024
- Arion anthracius Bourguignat, 1866
- Arion ater (Linnaeus, 1758) – black slug
- Arion ater rufus (Linnaeus, 1758) – red slug
- Arion atripunctatus Dumont & Mortillet, 1853
- Arion baeticus Garrido, Castillejo & Iglesias, 1994
- Arion circumscriptus Johnston, 1828 – brown-banded arion
- Arion distinctus Mabille, 1868 – darkface arion
- Arion euthymeanus Florence, 1886
- Arion fagophilus de Winter, 1986
- Arion fasciatus (Nilsson, 1823) – orange-banded arion
- Arion flagellus Collinge, 1893
- Arion fuligineus Morelet, 1845
- Arion fuscus (O.F.Müller, 1774)
- Arion gilvus Torres Mínguez, 1925
- Arion hispanicus Simroth, 1886
- Arion hortensis Férussac, 1819 – small striped slug
- Arion intermedius Normand, 1852 (syn. Arion alpinus Pollonera, 1887[10]) – hedgehog slug
- Arion iratii Garrido, Castillejo & Iglesias, 1995
- Arion lizarrustii Garrido, Castillejo & Iglesias, 1995
- Arion luisae Borrèda & Martínez-Ortí, 2014
- Arion lusitanicus Mabille, 1868
- Arion magnus Torres Mínguez, 1923
- Arion molinae Garrido, Castillejo & Iglesias, 1995
- Arion nobrei Pollonera, 1889
- Arion obesoductus (syn. Arion alpinus auctt. non Pollonera, 1887[10])
- Arion occultus R.Anderson, 2004
- Arion owenii Davies, 1979 – warty arion
- Arion paularensis Wiktor & Parejo, 1989
- Arion ponsi Quintana, 2007
- Arion sibiricus Simroth, 1902
- Arion simrothi Künkel, 1909: synonym of Arion (Mesarion) simrothi Künkel, 1909 (uncertain > taxon inquirendum, subgeneric affiliation unclear)
- Arion subfuscus (Draparnaud, 1805) – dusky arion
- Arion timidus Morelet, 1845
- Arion torquiformis Castillejo, Baselga, Lorenzo-Carballa, Iglesias & Gomez-Rodriguez, 2024
- Arion transsylvanus Simroth, 1885[11]
- Arion urbiae de Winter, 1986
- Arion vulgaris Moquin-Tandon, 1855 (not synonymous to Arion lusitanicus auct. non Mabille) – Spanish slug
- Arion wiktori Parejo & R. Martín, 1990
Synonyms
- Arion alpinus Pollonera, 1887: synonym of Arion intermedius Normand, 1852 (junior subjective synonym)
- Arion andersonii J. G. Cooper, 1872: synonym of Prophysaon andersonii (J. G. Cooper, 1872) (superseded combination)
- Arion anguloi Martín & B. Gómez, 1988: synonym of Arion urbiae de Winter, 1986 (a suggested synonym)
- Arion aterrimus L. Pfeiffer & J. E. Gray, 1855: synonym of Oopelta aterrima (L. Pfeiffer & J. E. Gray, 1855) (original combination)
- Arion austeniana G. Nevill, 1880 (nomen nudum)
- Arion coerulens Collinge, 1897: synonym of Arion distinctus Mabille, 1868
- Arion cottianus Pollonera, 1889: synonym of Arion distinctus Mabille, 1868
- Arion elongatus Collinge, 1894: synonym of Arion hortensis A. Férussac, 1819
- Arion empiricorum A. Férussac, 1819: synonym of Arion ater (Linnaeus, 1758) (junior subjective synonym)
- Arion foliolatus A. Gould, 1851: synonym of Prophysaon foliolatum (A. Gould, 1851) (original combination)
- Arion hessei Simroth, 1894: synonym of Arion distinctus Mabille, 1868
- † Arion hochheimensis Wenz, 1911 (apparently no gastropod but calcareous excretions of Lumbricidae)
- † Arion kinkelini Wenz, 1911 (apparently no gastropod but calcareous excretions of Lumbricidae)
- Arion minimus Simroth, 1885: synonym of Arion distinctus Mabille, 1868
- Arion mollerii Pollonera, 1889: synonym of Arion distinctus Mabille, 1868
- Arion rubellus Sterki, 1911: synonym of Arion hortensis A. Férussac, 1819 (junior synonym)
- Arion rufus (Linnaeus, 1758): synonym of Arion ater rufus (Linnaeus, 1758) (superseded rank)
- Arion silvaticus Lohmander, 1937: synonym of Arion circumscriptus silvaticus Lohmander, 1937 (superseded rank)
- Arion sulcatus Morelet, 1845: synonym of Arion ater (Linnaeus, 1758) (junior subjective synonym)
- Arion vejdovskyi Babor & Koštál, 1893 : synonym of Arion distinctus Mabille, 1868
- Arion vejdowskyi Babor & Koštál, 1893 : synonym of Arion distinctus Mabille, 1868
- Arion vejdorskyi : synonym of Arion (Microarion) vejdowskyi Babor & Koštál, 1893: synonym of Arion distinctus Mabille, 1868
- Arion verrucosus Brevière, 1881: synonym of Arion intermedius Normand, 1852
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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.[12][13]
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 (Arion ater) as a source of grease to lubricate wooden wagon axles.
References
External links
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