Arion intermedius | |
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A. intermedius showing characteristically prickley tubercles | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
Order: | Stylommatophora |
Family: | Arionidae |
Genus: | Arion |
Species: | A. intermedius
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Binomial name | |
Arion intermedius (Normand, 1852)
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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 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]
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]
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]
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]