Arion (gastropod)
Genus of gastropods / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.[2]
Arion | |
---|---|
Arion rufus | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
Order: | Stylommatophora |
Family: | Arionidae |
Genus: | Arion A. Férussac, 1819[1] |
Type species | |
Arion empiricorum A. Férussac, 1819 |
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.[3] The color of an individual can be influenced by its diet.[4]
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.[5] Arion slugs are often transported internationally in shipments of plant products and mushrooms.[6] 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.[7]