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• Arion (Kobeltia) owenii Davies 1979 Inishowen slug

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© Dr Roy Anderson

© Dr Roy Anderson

© Dr Roy Anderson

Belongs to the garden slug group but is distinctive in its tawny brown colouration with broad, blackish lateral bands and coarse dorsal tubercles

Key characteristics

• Broader and less depressed than either Arion distinctus or A. hortensis and with distinctly brownish colours rather than grey
• Lateral bands broad and often diffuse, brown to smoky black
• Sole yellow and mucus yellowish
• Tentacles purplish in colour
• Dorsal tubercles broad and coarse, appearing ridged when the animal is at rest

Size

30-38 mm.

World Distribution

Reported with certainty only from Britain and Ireland. Distribution type: Oceanic Temperate (71).

GBIF distribution map [open in new tab]

Irish Distribution

Described from material collected near Buncrana in Co. Donegal (Davies, 1977, 1979). Widespread and locally common in old woodland, roadsides and gardens in Donegal, Tyrone and Londonderry. Rare in the east Antrim glens and around Lough Neagh, and apparently a recent colonist of the Lagan Valley west of Belfast (Anderson 1977, 1984, 1991). Scattered along west coasts from Galway to Cork, but very local. Mostly absent in the east.

Ecology

• Primarily a woodland species and common in old birch, oak or hazel scrub in the north and west
• Has also been found under moss on coastal rocks and on grassy roadside verges
• There is some evidence that it can be spread in horticultural waste (Anderson, 1977, 1984) yet it has not been reported from gardens or from the vicinity of buildings

Red List status

• Least concern (lc).

Wikipedia link

Wikipedia page for Arion owenii