Distribution and spread of the invasive slug Arion vulgaris Moquin-Tandon in Norway

• Published in: Fauna norvegica
• Main Authors: Bjørn Arild Hatteland, Steffen Roth, Arild Andersen, Kristin Kaasa, Bente Støa, Torstein Solhøy
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Norwegian University of Science and Technology 2013
• Subjects: Gastropoda; invasive species; climate; Zoology; QL1-991; Norway; Finnsnes; Northern Norway; Troms
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5324/fn.v32i0.1473; https://doaj.org/article/1c99c2666acc493f9d67c06e54483c65

The present distribution of the invasive slug Arion vulgaris Moquin-Tandon was studied in Norway. This important pest species has spread to many parts of Europe during the last decades, inflicting damage to agriculture and domestic gardens. It was first recorded in Norway in 1988, and has since spread to many parts of the country and is now recorded in 192 municipalities. We surveyed the current distribution by sampling and gathering species records in cooperation with garden societies and local authorities. Based on these records, we present distributional data as well as relative predictions of future distributions based on geoclimatic parameters. Currently, A. vulgaris covers most of coastal southern Norway while it shows a patchy distribution in northern Norway, recorded as far north as Finnsnes in Troms County.