CreatureData

Black slug

Arion ater (Linnaeus, 1758)

LCLeast Concernsnails and slugs

The black slug (Arion ater) is a mollusc in the snails and slugs subgroup, belonging to the family Arionidae within the class Gastropoda. It is placed in the genus Arion and the superfamily Arionoidea, and its scientific name carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1758).

Black slug (Arion ater)
Photo: Prashanthns · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the black slug

Other English names for it include Black snail, Black arion, Great black slug, Large black slug and Greater black slug. The IUCN Red List assesses the black slug globally as Least Concern (LC), which is not a threatened category.

Weight
Not recorded
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Photos of the black slug

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

Black slug (Arion ater)
David Perez · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Black slug (Arion ater)
Robert Flogaus-Faust · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Black slug (Arion ater)
DanelMar · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Black slug (Arion ater)
Entychologist · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Black slug (Arion ater)
WindBorneListener · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Black slug (Arion ater)
Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Black slug (Arion ater)
Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Where does the black slug live?

Not recorded

What is the black slug?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

Arion ater, the black slug (also known as black arion, European black slug, or large black slug), is a large terrestrial gastropod mollusk in the family Arionidae, the round back slugs.

Many land slugs lack external shells, having a vestigial shell. Most slugs retain a remnant of their shell, which is usually internalized, unlike other terrestrial mollusks (such as snails) which have external shells. Without such shells, slugs produce mucus—that may also contain toxins—to deter predators. Terrestrial slugs produce two other forms of mucus that facilitate locomotion and prevent death from drying. Such mollusks are hermaphroditic. Slugs most often function as decomposers but are also often omnivores. Arion ater is one such slug, decomposing organic matter, preying on other organisms, and consuming vegetative matter including agricultural crops. Native to Europe, the black slug is an invasive species in Australia, Canada (British Columbia, Newfoundland, Quebec), and the United States (Pacific Northwest, Alaska).

From the Wikipedia article “Arion ater” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arion_ater&oldid=1377395702), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the black slug endangered?

The black slug is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the black slug classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumMollusca
  3. classGastropoda
  4. familyArionidae
  5. genusArion
  6. SpeciesArion ater (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms Arion ater, Arion ater var. albida, Arion ater var. albolateralis, Arion ater var. empiricorum, Arion empiricorum, Arion sulcatus, Limax ater

Other names and names in other languages (39)
  • Black arionEnglish
  • Black snailEnglish
  • European black slugEnglish
  • Great black slugEnglish
  • Greater black slugEnglish
  • Large black slugEnglish
  • llimiaguAsturian
  • plzák černýCzech
  • Sort skovsneglDanish
  • Große WegschneckeGerman
  • Große schwarze WegschneckeGerman
  • Schwarze WegschneckeGerman
  • Μαύρος γυμνοσάλιαγκαςGreek
  • Babosa ComúnSpanish
  • mustasiruetanaFinnish
  • Loche noireFrench
  • Grande limace noireFrench
  • Loche anthraciteFrench
  • SmeerpötjeNorthern Frisian
  • Crni prpoljCroatian
  • fekete csupaszcsigaHungarian
  • Limaccia neraItalian
  • Didysis arionasLithuanian
  • Juodasis arionasLithuanian
  • gjetslepNorwegian Bokmål
  • geitsleipNorwegian Bokmål
  • svartskogsneglNorwegian Bokmål
  • Zwarte wegslakDutch
  • Duistere wegslakDutch
  • svartskogsnigelNorwegian Nynorsk
  • ślinik czarnyPolish
  • Lesma-pretaPortuguese
  • красно-чёрный слизеньRussian
  • Слизень дорожный черныйRussian
  • Slizovec čiernySlovak
  • Црни арионSerbian
  • Crni arionSerbian
  • Svart skogssnigelSwedish
  • Маслюк чорнийUkrainian

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the black slug

Other species in the same genus Arion.

Glade slug

Arion intermedius

ArionidaeNo free photo yet

CompareBlack slug vs Spanish slugBlack slug vs Dusky arionBlack slug vs Garden slugBlack slug vs Glade slug

Common questions

Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.

What kind of animal is the black slug?

The black slug is a mollusc in the snails and slugs subgroup, classified in the class Gastropoda and the family Arionidae.

What is the scientific name of the black slug?

The scientific name of the black slug is Arion ater, placed in the genus Arion.

Who named the black slug and when?

The authority for Arion ater is written as (Linnaeus, 1758).

Is the black slug endangered?

No. The IUCN Red List assesses the black slug globally as Least Concern (LC), which is not a threatened category.

What other names does the black slug have?

Other English names for the black slug are Black snail, Black arion, Great black slug, Large black slug and Greater black slug.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Black slug (Arion ater). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/arion-ater

MLA

“Black slug (Arion ater).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/arion-ater.

BibTeX
@misc{arion_ater_2026,
  title = {Black slug (Arion ater)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/arion-ater},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}