Consumption rate and susceptibility to parasitic nematodes and chemical molluscicides of the pest slugs Arion hortensis s. s. and A. distinctusJ. Iglesias, B. Speiser, Biological and chemical control of Arion hortensis s. l. slugs

The species complex Arion hortensis s. l. is among the most important pestiferous slugs in Europe. The species A. distinctus Mabille and A. hortensis de Ferussac have traditionally been grouped together under the denomination A. hortensis. Therefore, neither the feeding behaviour nor the susceptibility of the individual species to control measures are known. In the laboratory, mean daily consumption of lettuce was similar for both species. In a series of laboratory bioassays, A. distinctus and A. hortensis s. s. were exposed to the rhabditid nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita and to the chemical molluscicides metaldehyde and iron phosphate, and their feeding and health were measured. Both species showed a similar and low susceptibility to the biocontrol agent P. hermaphrodita. In field-collected slugs, the incidence of nematodes was much lower in A. hortensis s. l. than in Deroceras reticulatum or Arion lusitanicus. Metaldehyde and iron phosphate affected both slug species similarly. Therefore, our results do not indicate any major difference between the two slug species of agronomical relevance.