''Arion'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of air-breathing land

slug Slug, or land slug, is a common name for any apparently shell-less terrestrial gastropod mollusc. The word ''slug'' is also often used as part of the common name of any gastropod mollusc that has no shell, a very reduced shell, or only a smal ...

s in the family Arionidae, the roundback slugs. Most species of this

Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Sibe ...

genus are native to the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

. 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.Jordaens, K., et al. (2001)
Food-induced body pigmentation questions the taxonomic value of colour in the self-fertilizing slug ''Carinarion'' spp.
''Journal of Molluscan Studies'' 67(2), 161-67. Some ''Arion'' are known as

pests PESTS was an anonymous American activist group formed in 1986 to critique racism, tokenism, and exclusion in the art world. PESTS produced newsletters, posters, and other print material highlighting examples of discrimination in gallery represent ...

, such as ''A. lusitanicus'' auct. non Mabille (= ''A. vulgaris''), which damages agricultural crops and

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

s, and ''A. rufus'', a familiar

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...

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 An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

, altering the plants of ecosystems through seed predation and competing with native slugs.

Species

There are approximately 40 species in the genus. Species include: * ''

Arion ater Arion (; grc-gre, Ἀρίων; fl. c. 700 BC) was a kitharode in ancient Greece, a Dionysiac poet credited with inventing the dithyramb. The islanders of Lesbos claimed him as their native son, but Arion found a patron in Periander, tyrant ...

'' – black slug * '' Arion circumscriptus'' – brownbanded arion * ''

Arion distinctus ''Arion distinctus'' is a species of air-breathing land slug in the family Arionidae, sometimes known as the roundback slugs. It is a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc. Several vernacular names exist, but it is unclear if they are much ...

'' Mabille, 1868 * '' Arion fasciatus'' * '' Arion flagellus'' * '' Arion fuscus'' * ''

Arion hortensis ''Arion hortensis'', also known by its common name the "garden slug", "small striped slug" or "black field slug" is a species of small air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Arionidae, the roundback ...

'' Férussac, 1819 – small striped slug * ''

Arion intermedius ''Arion intermedius'' is a species of land slug in the family Arionidae, the roundback slugs. It is known commonly as the hedgehog slug,syn. ''Arion alpinus'' Pollonera, 1887Manganelli, 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.) – hedgehog slug * ''

Arion lusitanicus ''Arion lusitanicus'', also known by its common name Portuguese slug, is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Arionidae. Distribution ''Arion lusitanicus'' is endemic to forests of the ...

'' * '' Arion obesoductus'' (syn. ''Arion alpinus'' auctt. non Pollonera, 1887) * ''

Arion occultus ''Arion occultus'' is a species of small air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Arionidae, the roundback slugs. Distribution This species occurs in: * Ireland; appears to be introduced in Ireland, b ...

'' * ''

Arion owenii ''Arion owenii'' is a species of small air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Arionidae, the roundback slugs. Description Note. In slugs it is often difficult to establish good criteria for identifyi ...

'' * ''

Arion rufus The red slug (''Arion rufus''), also known as the large red slug,Arion silvaticus ''Arion silvaticus'' is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Arionidae. Description Note. In slugs it is often difficult to establish good criteria for identifying species using exte ...

'' * ''

Arion simrothi ''Arion simrothi'' is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Arionidae, the round-back slugs. Distribution This species is found only in Germany Germany,, officially the Fed ...

'' * ''

Arion subfuscus ''Arion subfuscus'' is a species of land slug. It forms a species complex In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often u ...

'' * ''

Arion transsylvanus Arion (; grc-gre, Ἀρίων; fl. c. 700 BC) was a kitharode in ancient Greece, a Dionysiac poet credited with inventing the dithyramb. The islanders of Lesbos claimed him as their native son, but Arion found a patron in Periander, tyrant ...

'' Simroth, 1885 * ''

Arion vulgaris The Spanish slug (''Arion vulgaris'', but also widely known as ''Arion lusitanicus'' owing to a misidentification) is an air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial molluscs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc, mollusk in the family Arionidae, th ...

'' (syn. ''Arion lusitanicus'' auct. non Mabille) – Spanish slug

Also included

*'' Arion vejdorskyi'', a taxon with unclear taxonomic position

Etymology

The name ''Arion'' is from

New Latin New Latin (also called Neo-Latin or Modern Latin) is the revival of Literary Latin used in original, scholarly, and scientific works since about 1500. Modern scholarly and technical nomenclature, such as in zoological and botanical taxonomy ...

, from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

''areíones'', a “kind of snail or slug.”

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arion (Genus) Gastropod genera