A new record of three-band garden slug Ambigolimax valentianus (A. Ferussac, 1822) (Gastropoda: Limacidae) from Turkey

Abstract

Ambigolimax valentianus (A. Ferussac, 1822), the three-band garden slug, is originally native to the Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal, and the Balearic Islands); however, it has been spread by human activities to many other parts of the world. There is no distributional record of the slug in Turkey to date. The species was recorded for the first time in Turkey during a biological survey carried out in the accommodation area of Dicle University (Diyarbakir) in October 2017. Some of the slugs were transferred to the laboratory for their morphological determination and dissection. Notably, more than 50 species of slugs dwell on Turkish lands and most of them are distributed in the Northern Anatolia Region. A. valentianus is observed here for the first time on Turkish lands. The purpose of the study is to present the first record of A. valentianus in Turkey and contribute to the checklist of Turkish gastropods.