Saturday 15 June
Common garden slug (Arion distinctus)
Common garden slug fact file
- Description
- Biology
- Range
- Habitat
- Status
- Threats
- Conservation
- Find out more
- Glossary
- References
- Print factsheet
Common garden slug description
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Mollusca |
| Class | Gastropoda |
| Order | Stylommatophora |
| Family | Arionidae |
| Genus | Arion (1) |
Once included in the aggregate species Arion hortensis agg, the garden slug (Arion distinctus) is still confused with the similar species Arion hortensis and Arion owenii (2). The common garden slug is a yellow-grey colour with a bluish-black head and tentacles (2). Towards the rear end of the slug there is a yellowish stripe in the middle of the back, there are also stripes around the sides of the body (2).
- Size
- Length: 3 cm (1)
More »
Top
Related species
Common garden slug biology
The common garden slug breeds throughout much of the year and can be a serious pest of gardens as they attack cultivated plants, fruit, tubers and bulbs (1), which are eaten by means of a rasping tongue known as a radula. They emerge at night, and spend the day in moist places beneath stones, logs and other objects (1).
Slugs are related to snails; in the genus Arion, the shell is reduced to a group of calcareous granules below the 'mantle', which appears as a bulge on the upper surface of the slug (3).
Slugs are hermaphrodites, meaning that individuals possess both male and female reproductive organs, but self-fertilisation does not occur. During courtship, members of a pair follow each other in circles, whilst feeding on their partner's mucus trail (3).
TopCommon garden slug range
Widespread throughout Britain (1) and also found in Europe and North America (2).
More »
Top
Species with a similar range
Common garden slug habitat
This slug is typically found in habitats with a strong human influence such as gardens and parks (2).
More »
Top
Species found in a similar habitat
Common garden slug status
Common and widespread in Britain (1).
TopCommon garden slug threats
This slug is not threatened.
TopCommon garden slug conservation
Conservation action has not been targeted at this common species.
TopFind out more
For more on invertebrates and their conservation see Buglife, the Invertebrate Conservation Trust at:
http://www.buglife.org.uk/
Authentication
This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact: arkive@wildscreen.org.ukTopGlossary
- Calcareous
- Containing free calcium carbonate, chalky.
- Hermaphrodite
- Possessing both male and female sex organs.
- Radula
- In some molluscs, a narrow structure that bears teeth and is used to rasp at food.
References
- National Biodiversity Network Species Dictionary (Jan 2003): http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nbn/
- Pfleger, V. & Chatfield, J. (1983) A guide to snails of Britain and Europe. The Hamlyn Publishing Group, Ltd., London.
- Janus, H. (1982) The illustrated guide to molluscs. Harold Starke Ltd., London.
More »Related species
Sign up to our newsletter
Get the latest wild news direct to your inbox.
Get involved
ARKive relies on its media donors to donate photos and videos. Can you help? There are plenty of other ways you can get involved too!
Saturday 15 June
Friday 14 June
X
Close
Close
Link to this photo
Embed this ARKive thumbnail link by copying and pasting the code below.
Terms of Use - The displayed thumbnail may be used as a link from your website to ARKive's online content for private, scientific, conservation or educational purposes only. It may NOT be used within Apps.
Read more about
X
Close
Close
MyARKive
MyARKive offers the scrapbook feature to signed-up members, allowing you to organize your favourite ARKive images and videos and share them with friends.
X
Close
Close
Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials
Copyright in this website and materials contained on this website (Material) belongs to Wildscreen or its licensors.
Visitors to this website (End Users) are entitled to:
- view the contents of, and Material on, the website;
- download and retain copies of the Material on their personal systems in digital form in low resolution for their own personal use;
- teachers, lecturers and students may incorporate the Material in their educational material (including, but not limited to, their lesson plans, presentations, worksheets and projects) in hard copy and digital format for use within a registered educational establishment, provided that the integrity of the Material is maintained and that copyright ownership and authorship is appropriately acknowledged by the End User.
End Users shall not copy or otherwise extract, alter or manipulate Material other than as permitted in these Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials.
Additional use of flagged material
Green flagged material 
Certain Material on this website (Licence 4 Material) displays a green flag next to the Material and is available for not-for-profit conservation or educational use. This material may be used by End Users, who are individuals or organisations that are in our opinion not-for-profit, for their not-for-profit conservation or not-for-profit educational purposes. Low resolution, watermarked images may be copied from this website by such End Users for such purposes. If you require high resolution or non-watermarked versions of the Material, please contact Wildscreen with details of your proposed use.
Creative commons material
Certain Material on this website has been licensed to Wildscreen under a Creative Commons Licence. These images are clearly marked with the Creative Commons buttons and may be used by End Users only in the way allowed by the specific Creative Commons Licence under which they have been submitted. Please see http://creativecommons.org for details.
Any other use
Please contact the copyright owners directly (copyright and contact details are shown for each media item) to negotiate terms and conditions for any use of Material other than those expressly permitted above. Please note that many of the contributors to ARKive are commercial operators and may request a fee for such use.
Save as permitted above, no person or organisation is permitted to incorporate any copyright material from this website into any other work or publication in any format (this includes but is not limited to: websites, Apps, CDs, DVDs, intranets, extranets, signage, digital communications or on printed materials for external or other distribution). Use of the Material for promotional, administrative or for-profit purposes is not permitted.