Kingdom Animalia Family Arionidae Higher classification Arionidae Rank Genus | Superfamily Arionoidea Scientific name Arion Phylum Mollusca | |
 | ||
Lower classifications Spanish slug, Red slug, Black slug, Arion lusitanicus, Arion fuscus | ||
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.
Contents
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.
Species
There are approximately 40 species in the genus.
Species include: