Habits of snails or black slugs (Arion ater.)

Invading slugs (Arion vulgaris) can be vectors for Listeria monocytogenes

AIMS Listeriosis is a frequent silage-associated disease in ruminants. The slugs Arion vulgaris are invaders in gardens, vegetable crops and meadows for silage production. Field and laboratory studies were conducted to clarify whether slugs could host Listeria monocytogenes and thereby constitute a threat to animal feed safety. METHODS AND RESULTS Selective culture of L. monocytogenes from 79...

The darting game in snails and slugs.

Love darts are hard 'needles' that many snails and slugs use to pierce their partner during mating. In a few species, darts have been shown to play a role in sperm competition. Two new papers, by Davison et al., and Koene and Schulenburg, might further pique researchers' interest, because they show how the full potential of darts can be tapped for studies of sexual selection in hermaphrodites.

Metagenomic Analysis of the Gut Microbiome of the Common Black Slug Arion ater in Search of Novel Lignocellulose Degrading Enzymes

Some eukaryotes are able to gain access to well-protected carbon sources in plant biomass by exploiting microorganisms in the environment or harbored in their digestive system. One is the land pulmonate Arion ater, which takes advantage of a gut microbial consortium that can break down the widely available, but difficult to digest, carbohydrate polymers in lignocellulose, enabling them to diges...

Caffeine as a repellent for slugs and snails.

Cytological and cytochemical studies of centrifuged eggs of the slug Arion ater rufus L.

The stratification of various cell organelles and of important chemical substances have been studied in the eggs of the slug, after moderate centrifugation. As in other molluscs the egg contents stratify typically into three well-defined zones lipid, L hyaline and yolky zones but a distinct equatorial band of inclusions consisting mainly of F phagosomes and associated lysosomes was detected in ...