my-server
← Wiki Redirected from Arion (genus)

Arion (gastropod)

Arion is a genus of air-breathing land slugs in the family Arionidae, the roundback slugs.

Most species of this Palearctic genus are native to the Iberian Peninsula.

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. The color of an individual can be influenced by its diet.

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. Arion slugs are often transported internationally in shipments of plant products and mushrooms. 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.

Species

There are over 40 species in the genus.

Species include:

Synonyms

  • Arion alpinus <small>Pollonera, 1887</small>: synonym of Arion intermedius <small>Normand, 1852</small> (junior subjective synonym)
  • Arion andersonii <small>J. G. Cooper, 1872</small>: synonym of Prophysaon andersonii <small>(J. G. Cooper, 1872)</small> (superseded combination)
  • Arion anguloi Martín & B. Gómez, 1988: synonym of Arion urbiae <small>de Winter, 1986</small> (a suggested synonym)
  • Arion aterrimus <small>L. Pfeiffer & J. E. Gray, 1855</small>: synonym of Oopelta aterrima <small>(L. Pfeiffer & J. E. Gray, 1855)</small> (original combination)
  • Arion austeniana <small>G. Nevill, 1880</small> (nomen nudum)
  • Arion coerulens <small>Collinge, 1897</small>: synonym of Arion distinctus <small>Mabille, 1868</small>
  • Arion cottianus <small>Pollonera, 1889</small>: synonym of Arion distinctus <small>Mabille, 1868</small>
  • Arion elongatus <small>Collinge, 1894</small>: synonym of Arion hortensis <small>A. Férussac, 1819</small>
  • Arion empiricorum <small>A. Férussac, 1819</small>: synonym of Arion ater <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small> (junior subjective synonym)
  • Arion foliolatus <small>A. Gould, 1851</small>: synonym of Prophysaon foliolatum <small>(A. Gould, 1851)</small> (original combination)
  • Arion hessei <small>Simroth, 1894</small>: synonym of Arion distinctus <small>Mabille, 1868</small>
  • † Arion hochheimensis <small>Wenz, 1911</small> (apparently no gastropod but calcareous excretions of Lumbricidae)
  • † Arion kinkelini <small>Wenz, 1911</small> (apparently no gastropod but calcareous excretions of Lumbricidae)
  • Arion minimus <small>Simroth, 1885</small>: synonym of Arion distinctus <small>Mabille, 1868</small>
  • Arion mollerii <small>Pollonera, 1889</small>: synonym of Arion distinctus <small>Mabille, 1868</small>
  • Arion rubellus <small>Sterki, 1911</small>: synonym of Arion hortensis <small>A. Férussac, 1819</small> (junior synonym)
  • Arion rufus <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small>: synonym of Arion ater rufus <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small> (superseded rank)
  • Arion silvaticus <small>Lohmander, 1937</small>: synonym of Arion circumscriptus silvaticus <small>Lohmander, 1937</small> (superseded rank)
  • Arion sulcatus <small>Morelet, 1845</small>: synonym of Arion ater <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small> (junior subjective synonym)
  • Arion vejdovskyi Babor & KoÅ¡tál, 1893 : synonym of Arion distinctus Mabille, 1868
  • Arion vejdowskyi Babor & KoÅ¡tál, 1893 : synonym of Arion distinctus Mabille, 1868
  • Arion vejdorskyi : synonym of Arion (Microarion) vejdowskyi <small>Babor & KoÅ¡tál, 1893</small>: synonym of Arion distinctus <small>Mabille, 1868</small>
  • Arion verrucosus <small>Brevière, 1881</small>: synonym of Arion intermedius <small>Normand, 1852</small>

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.

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