Spanish Slug - Ecology

Ecology

Arion vulgaris inhabits cultivated habitats of any kind, as well as natural habitats such as river and lake margins, margins of forests, forests in valleys or moderately dry meadows. In Switzerland it has been found up to 1700 m altitude.

It is a serious horticultural pest in large parts of Europe. It is being dispersed mainly by soil used for horticultural purposes.

Hedgehogs and some birds, including many breeds of domestic ducks feed on slugs, often voraciously enough to control their numbers effectively. Some amphibians and reptiles do so too. Large species of ground beetles and species of glowworm in the family Lampyridae feed on slugs, snails and their eggs. The Spanish slug does not appear to be subject to such constraints, and locally appears in extremely dense populations.