It can also be very effective as a molluscicide, killing spanish slugs.

The Spanish slug does not appear to be subject to such constraints, and locally appears in extremely dense populations.

The colour of the Spanish slug is brownish or reddish brown, or brightly orange.

The local name of the slug in the regions it has invaded is typically a translation of "Spanish slug".

Danish authorities maintain that the Spanish slug, black slug and red slug are in fact subspecies of the same species.

Spanish slug (Arion vulgaris)

In a study by Speiser et al. (2001), Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita had little effect on larger specimen of Spanish slugs.

Its common name "Spanish slug" was also based on the unsubstantiated assumption that the species would not only live in Portugal, but also in Spain.

The Spanish slug, Arion vulgaris, is known to interbreed with the black slug and perhaps the red slug.

More recent introductions are the New Zealand flatworm, the Spanish slug, and the Common Wasp which all have become part of the natural fauna.

The Spanish slug was identified as Arion lusitanicus when it was first reported as an invading species in France in 1956.

The main reason behind problematic invasions of gardens by the Spanish slug is that it has adapted to a dry climate, where most eggs will dry out before hatching.

In the past two decades, its mating with the non-native (at northern latitudes) pest species Arion vulgaris (or Spanish slug) has resulted in a more resilient hybrid exhibiting increased tolerance to cold.

In recent years, it has been observed that the Spanish slug has bred with the indigenous black slug Arion ater to produce a more frost-resistant variety in the more northerly regions.

The more well known Spanish slug was for a time misidentified as Arion lusitanicus, but the two slugs are not very closely related, differing in internal anatomy, shape of spermatophore and number of chromosomes.

In contrast to predominately carnivorous species like the Spanish slug or the grey slug, L. marginata eats lichen, algae and mushrooms, and will only eat other dead slugs if no other food is available.

An example is the introduction of the Spanish slug in Northern Europe, where interbreeding with the local black slug and red slug, traditionally considered clearly separate species that did not interbreed, shows they may be actually just subspecies of the same species.

The Spanish slug, scientific name Arion vulgaris, more commonly known in English-speaking countries under the incorrectly applied Latin name, Arion lusitanicus, is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Arionidae, the roundback slugs.

Spanish slug (Arion vulgaris)