Spanish Slug
Spanish Slug
Arion vulgaris
Mollusca
COMMON

Stats

Lifespan
1-2 yrs
Size
Large
Diet
Herbivore
Activity
Nocturnal
Social
Solitary
Biome
Temperate grassland
Range
Iberian Peninsula
Movement
Slithering
Breeding
Egg-laying
Defense
Toxins
Status
Common

About

The Spanish slug is one of Europe's most destructive invasive terrestrial molluscs, capable of laying up to 400 eggs per year and devouring crops, garden plants, and even carrion. Originally from the Iberian Peninsula, it has spread across much of Europe and beyond, earning it a reputation as a near-unstoppable garden pest.

Life cycle

  1. 1.
    juvenile
    A juvenile mollusk takes adult form after its larval phase and begins building or growing its shell.
  2. 2.
    adult
    Fully grown at adult shell size or body length.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Mollusca
Class
Gastropoda
Order
Stylommatophora
Family
Arionidae
Genus
Arion
Species
Arion vulgaris