Arion vulgaris Moquin-Tandon, 1855

Arzumanyan, Meri, Zhamakochyan, Gohar, Torosyan, Hasmik, Ghrmajyan, Arevik, Arakelyan, Marine, Nanagulyan, Siranush, Margaryan, Lusine, Aghayan, Sargis, Davis, Robert B & Turoci, Agnes, 2024, First record of Arion vulgaris Moquin-Tandon, 1855 (Arionidae) from Armenia, Biodiversity Data Journal 12, pp. 121176-121176 : 121176

Arion vulgaris Moquin-Tandon, 1855

Materials

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: HNHM 105451a ; recordedBy: Meri Arzumanyan; individualCount: 1; sex: hermaphrodite; lifeStage: subadult; occurrenceID: 8DC67D2A-7463-5B91-AD92-866FA1C4F7EE; Taxon : scientificName: Arion vulgaris; acceptedNameUsage: Spanish slug; originalNameUsage: Arion vulgaris; nameAccordingTo: sensu; higherClassification: Eukaryota ; kingdom: Animalia ; phylum: Mollusca ; class: Gastropoda ; order: Stylommatophora ; family: Arionidae ; genus: Arion ; specificEpithet: vulgaris; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: Moquin-Tandon , 1855; vernacularName: Spanish slug; taxonomicStatus: accepted; Location : locationID: Stepanavan ; higherGeography: Lesser Caucasus ; continent: Eurasia ; country: Armenia; countryCode: ARM; stateProvince: Lori; locality: Gyulagarak village , Lori province, ARM ; decimalLatitude: 40.9686; decimalLongitude: 44.4675; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification : identifiedBy: Meri Arzumanyan ; dateIdentified: 08-08-23; identificationQualifier: Dissection ; Event : samplingProtocol: hand sampling; habitat: garden; fieldNumber: Arion _001; fieldNotes: First record of invasion; Record Level : language: Armenian ; collectionID: HNHM 105451a; datasetID: HNHM; institutionCode: YSU_MOL_MA; collectionCode: Molluscs ; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: HNHM 105451b ; recordedBy: Meri Arzumanyan; individualCount: 1; sex: hermaphrodite; lifeStage: subadult; occurrenceID: 9DF99457-A965-56DC-9DC9-11FC16B6E43F; Taxon : scientificName: Arion vulgaris; acceptedNameUsage: Spanish slug; originalNameUsage: Arion vulgaris; nameAccordingTo: sensu; higherClassification: Eukaryota ; kingdom: Animalia ; phylum: Mollusca ; class: Gastropoda ; order: Stylommatophora ; family: Arionidae ; genus: Arion ; specificEpithet: vulgaris; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: Moquin-Tandon , 1855; vernacularName: Spanish slug; taxonomicStatus: accepted; Location : locationID: Stepanavan ; higherGeography: Lesser Caucasus ; continent: Eurasia ; country: Armenia ; countryCode: ARM; stateProvince: Lori; locality: Gyulagarak village , Lori province, ARM ; decimalLatitude: 40.9686; decimalLongitude: 44.4675; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification : identifiedBy: Meri Arzumanyan ; dateIdentified: 08-08-23; identificationQualifier: Dissection ; Event : samplingProtocol: hand sampling; habitat: garden; fieldNumber: Arion _001; fieldNotes: First record of invasion; Record Level : language: Armenian ; collectionID: HNHM 105451b; datasetID: HNHM; institutionCode: YSU_MOL_MA; collectionCode: Molluscs ; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: HNHM 105451c ; recordedBy: Meri Arzumanyan; individualCount: 1; sex: hermaphrodite; lifeStage: juvenile; occurrenceID: AEE31151-C361-5C48-A8BD-7062A2E3F3A8; Taxon : scientificName: Arion vulgaris; acceptedNameUsage: Spanish slug; originalNameUsage: Arion vulgaris; nameAccordingTo: sensu; higherClassification: Eukaryota ; kingdom: Animalia ; phylum: Mollusca ; class: Gastropoda ; order: Stylommatophora ; family: Arionidae ; genus: Arion ; specificEpithet: vulgaris; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: Moquin-Tandon , 1855; vernacularName: Spanish slug; taxonomicStatus: accepted; Location : locationID: Stepanavan ; higherGeography: Lesser Caucasus ; continent: Eurasia ; country: Armenia ; countryCode: ARM; stateProvince: Lori; locality: Gyulagarak village , Lori province, ARM ; decimalLatitude: 40.9686; decimalLongitude: 44.4675; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification : identifiedBy: Meri Arzumanyan ; dateIdentified: 08-08-23; identificationQualifier: Dissection ; Event : samplingProtocol: hand sampling; habitat: garden; fieldNumber: Arion _001; fieldNotes: First record of invasion; Record Level : language: Armenian ; collectionID: HNHM 105451c; datasetID: HNHM; institutionCode: YSU_MOL_MA; collectionCode: Molluscs ; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: CaBOL-1013789 ; recordedBy: Meri Arzumanyan; individualCount: 1; sex: hermaphrodite; occurrenceID: 2F28EE20-0497-58C4-A62D-7BB43361BEA9; Taxon : scientificName: Arion vulgaris; acceptedNameUsage: Spanish slug; originalNameUsage: Arion vulgaris; nameAccordingTo: sensu; higherClassification: Eukaryota ; kingdom: Animalia ; phylum: Mollusca ; class: Gastropoda ; order: Stylommatophora ; family: Arionidae ; genus: Arion ; specificEpithet: vulgaris; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: Moquin-Tandon , 1855; vernacularName: Spanish slug; taxonomicStatus: accepted; Location : locationID: Stepanavan ; higherGeography: Lesser Caucasus ; continent: Eurasia ; country: Armenia ; countryCode: ARM; stateProvince: Lori; locality: Gyulagarak village , Lori province, ARM ; decimalLatitude: 40.9686; decimalLongitude: 44.4675; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification : identifiedBy: Meri Arzumanyan ; dateIdentified: 09-12-22; identificationQualifier: Sequence ; Event : samplingProtocol: hand sampling; habitat: garden; fieldNumber: Arion _001; fieldNotes: First record of invasion; Record Level : language: Armenian ; collectionID: CaBOL-1013789; datasetID: CaBOL; institutionCode: YSU_MOL_MA; collectionCode: Molluscs ; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: CaBOL-1013790 ; recordedBy: Meri Arzumanyan; individualCount: 1; sex: hermaphrodite; occurrenceID: 8C474C5B-2524-5391-83FE-BDFC3FFC931A; Taxon : scientificName: Arion vulgaris; acceptedNameUsage: Spanish slug; originalNameUsage: Arion vulgaris; nameAccordingTo: sensu; higherClassification: Eukaryota ; kingdom: Animalia ; phylum: Mollusca ; class: Gastropoda ; order: Stylommatophora ; family: Arionidae ; genus: Arion ; specificEpithet: vulgaris; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: Moquin-Tandon , 1855; vernacularName: Spanish slug; taxonomicStatus: accepted; Location : locationID: Stepanavan ; higherGeography: Lesser Caucasus ; continent: Eurasia ; country: Armenia ; countryCode: ARM; stateProvince: Lori; locality: Gyulagarak village , Lori province, ARM ; decimalLatitude: 40.9686; decimalLongitude: 44.4675; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification : identifiedBy: Meri Arzumanyan ; dateIdentified: 07-01-23; identificationQualifier: Sequence ; Event : samplingProtocol: hand sampling; habitat: garden; fieldNumber: Arion _001; fieldNotes: First record of invasion; Record Level : language: Armenian ; collectionID: CaBOL-1013790; datasetID: CaBOL; institutionCode: YSU_MOL_MA; collectionCode: Molluscs ; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: CaBOL-1013791 ; recordedBy: Meri Arzumanyan; individualCount: 1; sex: hermaphrodite; occurrenceID: 41A510F9-AE0E-58AA-BBCB-7EF286C982A0; Taxon : scientificName: Arion vulgaris; acceptedNameUsage: Spanish slug; originalNameUsage: Arion vulgaris; nameAccordingTo: sensu; higherClassification: Eukaryota ; kingdom: Animalia ; phylum: Mollusca ; class: Gastropoda ; order: Stylommatophora ; family: Arionidae ; genus: Arion ; specificEpithet: vulgaris; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: Moquin-Tandon , 1855; vernacularName: Spanish slug; taxonomicStatus: accepted; Location : locationID: Stepanavan ; higherGeography: Lesser Caucasus ; continent: Eurasia ; country: Armenia ; countryCode: ARM; stateProvince: Lori; locality: Gyulagarak village , Lori province, ARM ; decimalLatitude: 40.9686; decimalLongitude: 44.4675; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification : identifiedBy: Meri Arzumanyan ; dateIdentified: 07-01-23; identificationQualifier: Sequence ; Event : samplingProtocol: hand sampling; habitat: garden; fieldNumber: Arion _001; fieldNotes: First record of invasion; Record Level : language: Armenian ; collectionID: CaBOL-1013791; datasetID: CaBOL; institutionCode: YSU_MOL_MA; collectionCode: Molluscs ; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: CaBOL-1013792 ; recordedBy: Meri Arzumanyan; individualCount: 1; sex: hermaphrodite; occurrenceID: AA9DA143-4568-5355-AA23-A89C3E62CF8C; Taxon : scientificName: Arion vulgaris; acceptedNameUsage: Spanish slug; originalNameUsage: Arion vulgaris; nameAccordingTo: sensu; higherClassification: Eukaryota ; kingdom: Animalia ; phylum: Mollusca ; class: Gastropoda ; order: Stylommatophora ; family: Arionidae ; genus: Arion ; specificEpithet: vulgaris; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: Moquin-Tandon , 1855; vernacularName: Spanish slug; taxonomicStatus: accepted; Location : locationID: Stepanavan ; higherGeography: Lesser Caucasus ; continent: Eurasia ; country: Armenia ; countryCode: ARM; stateProvince: Lori; locality: Gyulagarak village , Lori province, ARM ; decimalLatitude: 40.9686; decimalLongitude: 44.4675; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification : identifiedBy: Meri Arzumanyan ; dateIdentified: 07-01-23; identificationQualifier: Sequence ; Event : samplingProtocol: hand sampling; habitat: garden; fieldNumber: Arion _001; fieldNotes: First record of invasion; Record Level : language: Armenian ; collectionID: CaBOL-1013792; datasetID: CaBOL; institutionCode: YSU_MOL_MA; collectionCode: Molluscs ; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: CaBOL-1013793 ; recordedBy: Meri Arzumanyan; individualCount: 1; sex: hermaphrodite; occurrenceID: 3F851C25-634C-518D-906B-BD0EF6E01698; Taxon : scientificName: Arion vulgaris; acceptedNameUsage: Spanish slug; originalNameUsage: Arion vulgaris; nameAccordingTo: sensu; higherClassification: Eukaryota ; kingdom: Animalia ; phylum: Mollusca ; class: Gastropoda ; order: Stylommatophora ; family: Arionidae ; genus: Arion ; specificEpithet: vulgaris; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: Moquin-Tandon , 1855; vernacularName: Spanish slug; taxonomicStatus: accepted; Location : locationID: Stepanavan ; higherGeography: Lesser Caucasus ; continent: Eurasia ; country: Armenia ; countryCode: ARM; stateProvince: Lori; locality: Gyulagarak village , Lori province, ARM ; decimalLatitude: 40.9686; decimalLongitude: 44.4675; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification : identifiedBy: Meri Arzumanyan ; dateIdentified: 08-08-23; identificationQualifier: Sequence ; Event : samplingProtocol: hand sampling; habitat: garden; fieldNumber: Arion _001; fieldNotes: First record of invasion; Record Level : language: Armenian ; collectionID: CaBOL-1013793; datasetID: CaBOL; institutionCode: YSU_MOL_MA; collectionCode: Molluscs ; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: CaBOL-1013794 ; recordedBy: Meri Arzumanyan; individualCount: 1; sex: hermaphrodite; occurrenceID: 20BF850A-EBAE-5974-AF91-CACD7F6D0F1A; Taxon : scientificName: Arion vulgaris; acceptedNameUsage: Spanish slug; originalNameUsage: Arion vulgaris; nameAccordingTo: sensu; higherClassification: Eukaryota ; kingdom: Animalia ; phylum: Mollusca ; class: Gastropoda ; order: Stylommatophora ; family: Arionidae ; genus: Arion ; specificEpithet: vulgaris; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: Moquin-Tandon , 1855; vernacularName: Spanish slug; taxonomicStatus: accepted; Location : locationID: Stepanavan ; higherGeography: Lesser Caucasus ; continent: Eurasia ; country: Armenia ; countryCode: ARM; stateProvince: Lori; locality: Gyulagarak village , Lori province, ARM ; decimalLatitude: 40.9686; decimalLongitude: 44.4675; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification : identifiedBy: Meri Arzumanyan ; dateIdentified: 08-08-23; identificationQualifier: Sequence ; Event : samplingProtocol: hand sampling; habitat: garden; fieldNumber: Arion _001; fieldNotes: First record of invasion; Record Level : language: Armenian ; collectionID: CaBOL-1013794; datasetID: CaBOL; institutionCode: YSU_MOL_MA; collectionCode: Molluscs ; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: CaBOL-1013795 ; recordedBy: Meri Arzumanyan; individualCount: 1; sex: hermaphrodite; occurrenceID: A99D5774-E829-59EE-9051-C66146807805; Taxon : scientificName: Arion vulgaris; acceptedNameUsage: Spanish slug; originalNameUsage: Arion vulgaris; nameAccordingTo: sensu; higherClassification: Eukaryota ; kingdom: Animalia ; phylum: Mollusca ; class: Gastropoda ; order: Stylommatophora ; family: Arionidae ; genus: Arion ; specificEpithet: vulgaris; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: Moquin-Tandon , 1855; vernacularName: Spanish slug; taxonomicStatus: accepted; Location : locationID: Stepanavan ; higherGeography: Lesser Caucasus ; continent: Eurasia ; country: Armenia ; countryCode: ARM; stateProvince: Lori; locality: Gyulagarak village , Lori province, ARM ; decimalLatitude: 40.9686; decimalLongitude: 44.4675; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification : identifiedBy: Meri Arzumanyan ; dateIdentified: 08-08-23; identificationQualifier: Sequence ; Event : samplingProtocol: hand sampling; habitat: garden; fieldNumber: Arion _001; fieldNotes: First record of invasion; Record Level : language: Armenian ; collectionID: CaBOL-1013795; datasetID: CaBOL; institutionCode: YSU_MOL_MA; collectionCode: Molluscs ; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: CaBOL-1013796 ; recordedBy: Meri Arzumanyan; individualCount: 1; sex: hermaphrodite; occurrenceID: 99DC1334-2758-5445-93BB-5B44804D06C0; Taxon : scientificName: Arion vulgaris; acceptedNameUsage: Spanish slug; originalNameUsage: Arion vulgaris; nameAccordingTo: sensu; higherClassification: Eukaryota ; kingdom: Animalia ; phylum: Mollusca ; class: Gastropoda ; order: Stylommatophora ; family: Arionidae ; genus: Arion ; specificEpithet: vulgaris; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: Moquin-Tandon , 1855; vernacularName: Spanish slug; taxonomicStatus: accepted; Location : locationID: Stepanavan ; higherGeography: Lesser Caucasus ; continent: Eurasia ; country: Armenia ; countryCode: ARM; stateProvince: Lori; locality: Gyulagarak village , Lori province, ARM ; decimalLatitude: 40.9686; decimalLongitude: 44.4675; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification : identifiedBy: Meri Arzumanyan ; dateIdentified: 08-08-23; identificationQualifier: Sequence ; Event : samplingProtocol: hand sampling; habitat: garden; fieldNumber: Arion _001; fieldNotes: First record of invasion; Record Level : language: Armenian ; collectionID: CaBOL-1013796; datasetID: CaBOL; institutionCode: YSU_MOL_MA; collectionCode: Molluscs ; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: CaBOL-1013797 ; recordedBy: Meri Arzumanyan; individualCount: 1; sex: hermaphrodite; occurrenceID: 0584E305-B066-58AE-90AF-05A73BE2DB4B; Taxon : scientificName: Arion vulgaris; acceptedNameUsage: Spanish slug; originalNameUsage: Arion vulgaris; nameAccordingTo: sensu; higherClassification: Eukaryota ; kingdom: Animalia ; phylum: Mollusca ; class: Gastropoda ; order: Stylommatophora ; family: Arionidae ; genus: Arion ; specificEpithet: vulgaris; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: Moquin-Tandon , 1855; vernacularName: Spanish slug; taxonomicStatus: accepted; Location : locationID: Stepanavan ; higherGeography: Lesser Caucasus ; continent: Eurasia ; country: Armenia ; countryCode: ARM; stateProvince: Lori; locality: Gyulagarak village , Lori province, ARM ; decimalLatitude: 40.9686; decimalLongitude: 44.4675; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification : identifiedBy: Meri Arzumanyan ; dateIdentified: 08-08-23; identificationQualifier: Sequence ; Event : samplingProtocol: hand sampling; habitat: garden; fieldNumber: Arion _001; fieldNotes: First record of invasion; Record Level : language: Armenian ; collectionID: CaBOL-1013797; datasetID: CaBOL; institutionCode: YSU_MOL_MA; collectionCode: Molluscs ; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen

Description

Adult living specimens were 70-110 mm long when fully extended. Collected individuals were unicolour brown with an orange hue without bands, the tubercles were coarse, the foot fringe was orange or brown (same shade as body colour) with thin vertical black lines, the head had an orange tint and the tentacles were black (Fig. 1 ).

Samples for dissection were collected during the summer of 2023. Although all three dissected specimens were subadults or juveniles, the main genital characters were visible. The main distinctive character is the dilated anterior (i.e. closer to the genital pore) part of the oviduct, which contains a longitudinal ligula that has two elongated flanks. The posterior part of the oviduct is short and not dilated. The bursa is somewhat elongated and almost as wide as their ducts. The vas deferens is short and the epiphallus is slightly wider than the vas deferens in all cases (Fig. 2 ).

Distribution

The map of Armenia presented in Fig. 3 highlights the specific sampling locations where Arion vulgaris was recorded. In 2022, the species was documented for the first time in Armenia in Gyulagarak.

Taxon discussion

First record of Arion vulgaris in Armenia.

Molecular analyses

Phylogenetic analysis has shown that there are three distant haplotypes of A. vulgaris occurring in Gyulagarak Village in Armenia. Haplotype-1 consists of barcoding results of six specimens: CaBOL-1013789, CaBOL-1013790, CaBOL-1013791, CaBOL-1013793, CaBOL-1013795, CaBOL-1013797; Haplotype-2 two specimens: CaBOL-1013792, CaBOL-1013796; and Haplotype-3 only one: CaBOL-1013794. Haplotype-1 and Haplotype-3 are phylogenetically close to each other and to specimens from Germany and Austria. Haplotype-2 is close to specimens from Germany and is phylogenetically further from Haplotype-1 and Haplotype-3 (Fig. 4 ). This indicates that the species has been introduced from Central Europe. Most of the GenBank records used for the phylogeny in Fig. 4 were for A. vulgaris specimens, especially those records from Austria and Germany. For most of the Polish data, taken from Soroka et al. (2009), where the species' anatomical description is similar to A. vulgaris , A. vulgaris might be misidentified as A. lusitanicus . There are three A. vulgaris and A. ater hybrids - two from Germany and one from Poland - shown in Fig. 4 .

Figures

Figure 1. Arion vulgaris specimen from Gyulagarak (CaBOL- 1013790). The photograph was taken by M. Arzumanyan.

Figure 2. Genital tract of three specimens deposited in the Natural History Museum of Budapest: 1: HNHM 105451 a, 2: HNHM 105451 b, 3: HNHM 105451 c. 1 B and 2 B: same specimens as in A with oviduct opened 1 A: Abbreviations: atr = atrium, bur = bursa copulatrix, duc = ductus hermaphroditicus, epi = epiphallus, glh = glandula hermaphroditica, pen = penis, lig = ligula, ovi = oviductus, spo = spermoviductus. All scale bars = 1 mm.

Figure 3. Sampling locations of Arion vulgaris in Armenia.

Figure 4. The phylogenetic tree of A. vulgaris species, based on the CO 1 gene. Hap _ 1 = Haplotype- 1, Hap _ 2 = Haplotype- 2, Hap _ 3 = Haplotype- 3.