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

* Correspondence: ekinihsan@gmail.com In Turkish territories, gastropod species with close relationships to the European, Turanian, Caucasian, and Eremial malacocoenoses are abundantly present because of the overlapping of several biogeographic zones. Additionally, most of them are unique and endemic species (Schütt, 2005). The rich array of geomorphologic structures supports a high rate of speciation and variation due to geographic isolation. Climatologic variations ranging from extremely humid subtropical to almost desertlike conditions offer a multitude of niches for terrestrial gastropods. Geological factors significantly influence the absence or presence of gastropod species and also may have an impact on their population densities (Gümüş and Neubert, 2009). The physiographical diverse territory of Turkey has a very rich molluscan fauna, including numerous slug species. Because the Turkish malacofauna is poorly known, new species can be discovered at any time. For Turkey, it is still necessary to determine the geographical distribution of the gastropod species already recorded in other parts of the world (Schütt, 2005; Wiktor, 2007). Ambigolimax valentianus is one of the greenhouse slugs, commonly known as the three-band garden slug, and its presence has not been recorded in Turkish territories to date. It is known as a ground-living species mostly found in greenhouses, gardens, and nurseries; in compost heaps and under fallen logs, stones, and soils; and in shady locations with lots of vegetation (Wiktor et al., 2000). The species is known as omnivorous, mostly feeding on algae growing on rocks and stones (Chichester and Getz, 1973) and on fresh plants, fruits, and tubers (Kurozumi, 2002); however, some nutritional research has shown that the species occasionally feeds on animal material and fallen decayed leaves (Udaka et al., 2007). The original location of A. valentianus is the Iberian Peninsula; however, it has been spread by human activities, presumably with garden plants and soil containing their eggs and juveniles, to many other parts of the world such as Ireland, England, Central Europe, France, South Sweden, Malta, West Italy, Russia, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and Africa, as well as South and North America. The objective of this report is to document for the first time in Turkey the presence of three-band garden slug A. valentianus from Diyarbakır on the basis of dissection and morphologic identifications, as well as contributing new data about the species for the gastropod checklist of Turkey. A. valentianus was collected during an ongoing biological investigation in the gardens of Dicle University, near the Diyarbakır city center, in the southeast of Turkey (altitude: 688 m; 37°55.32′N, 40°44.63′E). The samples were obtained in October 2017 and the air temperature Abstract: Ambigolimax valentianus (A. Férussac, 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 (Diyarbakır) 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.