Pneumostome located on the right-hand side of the mantle and near the front margin;keel absent;mantle granular. Foot fringe broad, heavily lineolated, similar in colour to that of the back. Juveniles have dark lateral bands with paler ‘shadow’ bands on the sides above these – compare juvenile Arion rufus and juvenile and adult Arion subfuscus. Sides below the bands are pale. Colour is variable - yellowish, greyish, chocolate, reddish, brownish (never greenish). The adults are normally unbanded, colour of the upper surface a uniform yellowish-brown, brown, reddish-brown or dark-brown, rarely black. Eggs are white, slightly transparent, soft-shelled, ca 2 mm in diameter.
The occurrence of A. vulgaris in transported plant materials may involve the adults, juveniles or eggs.
The adults and juveniles are active after dark and may be detected in the evening or early morning, or by inspecting plant materials stored under cover. Like Deroceras reticulatum, all stages hide in leaf whorls, under debris, stones and wood and occasionally in the soil around root systems.
The eggs are deposited on the soil, under dead leaves or other surface debris and are not buried in the soil.
Traps containing molluscicides (metaldehyde, carbamate, iron pyrophosphate hydrate) may be used to collect material, but hand collecting is often just as efficient and avoids the risk of contaminating produce.
Related invasive species
- Arion vulgaris
Related Farm Practice
- Damage
- Pests
- Development
- Feeding
The invasiveness of A. vulgaris is related to several factors. Its ability and readiness to colonize humanly-disturbed environments is of major importance. Proschwitz (1997) observed that 99% of Swedish records were from synanthropic habitats and only 1% from natural woodlands. With a proximity to humans, comes the possibility of passive dispersal through trade, particularly in living plants. The garden centre trade and horticulture are particularly implicated (Weidema, 2006). In Poland, there is evidence from studies of molecular diversity that A. vulgaris has originated from repeated, separate introductions from other parts of Europe (Soroka et al., 2007).
Copious deposits of slime and slime trails leading from damaged site indicate activity.
Damage only within 1-5 m from the field edge, next to an area with dense, undisturbed vegetation, for example, grassland, fallow, scrub and garden.
Surface damage to large plants or plant parts specifically indicates the presence of this species. Complete removal of plants may occur.
No damage occurs below ground with this species.
A. vulgaris is a serious pest of diverse vegetable crops (especially Brassicaceae, lettuce, cucurbits), vegetable seedlings, arable crops (Triticaceae), ornamental plants, low-growing fruits (strawberries) and herbs within gardens in Central Europe, regularly causing severe losses. In the early stages of arable crop development (after seedling emergence or after planting), the plants are seriously defoliated or completely destroyed. The leaves, flowers or fruit may be damaged with feeding holes, and the potential harvest devalued. In Austria, serious damage to arable agriculture has been reported (Reischütz, 1984). In Poland, A. vulgaris was found to feed on a wide range of plants, including arable crops and commonly occurring weeds. Slug damage was found on 103 plant species (including wild species) and preferred crops including Brassica napus (Kozlowski and Kaluski, 2004;Kozlowski, 2005).