• •
Yesterday
•
reading time 3 minutes
•
8742 views
•
save
New Guinean land flatworm
© Shinji Sugiura
A newly discovered species is often good news. But not in this case. The invasive New Guinean land flatworm was found for the first time during a scientific expedition on Bonaire. The animal is protected by nature organization IUCN considered one of the most harmful exotic species in the world. This carnivorous flatworm poses a danger to all kinds of native and endemic snails on the island. According to the researchers, something must be done quickly to prevent further spread.
Potted plant
The New Guinean land flatworm was found last year during a scientific expedition Natural and nature organization STINAPA. The aim of this research was to map the snail diversity of Bonaire. And with success. The expedition found twenty new snail species for the island.
But there was also bycatch, namely a large dark flat worm. Land flatworm expert Sytske de Waart has been able to determine that it is the harmful New Guinean land flatworm. The invasive exotic species probably ended up on Bonaire via the pot plant trade.
New Guinean land flatworm on Bonaire
© Sylvia van Leeuwen
Slack dods
The flatworm is very adept at following the slime trail of snails. Once it arrives at the victim, the animal squeezes in through the snail’s breathing opening, where it feasts on the internal organs. The New Guinean land flatworm also appears to be able to handle prey that is larger than itself.
Sytske de Waart: ‘In the 1960s it was thought that it was a good idea to use the New Guinean land flatworm as a biological control agent for the African giant snail on a number of islands in the Pacific Ocean. He did this very effectively, and then it was the turn of the native snails. This introductions are considered a major cause of the extinction of native land snails on several Pacific islands’.
Call
To prevent further spread, the existing populations of this land flatworm should be controlled on Bonaire, the researchers said. ‘However, do not touch the flatworms with your bare hands. This land flatworm may be a carrier of rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis) that can cause encephalitis or meningitis (meningitis) in humans,” says snail expert Sylvia van Leeuwen, who discovered the exotic species on Bonaire.
Can’t be broken
Flatworms are special animals. They can survive for a long time without food and are difficult to control, partly because their bodies can regenerate if damaged or cut in half. Because they taste bad, they have hardly any natural enemies. Flatworms seem harmless, but they are top predators of soil animals. Because they eat earthworms, they can have a negative impact on soil quality in nature, but also in agriculture and horticulture.
© EIS insect knowledge center
The Netherlands
Flatworm exotics also occur in our country. Yet not much is known about it yet. There are now about 9 non-native species in the Netherlands, and they are also being spotted in more and more places. Such as the hammerhead flatworm (Bipalium kewense). This species occurs in greenhouses, but cannot survive outside in our regions. And the great Australian two-lined (Caenoplana bicolor). This was photographed in 2014 in a garden in Castricum. This worm can grow up to 12 centimeters in length.
The land flatworm you should be alert to when purchasing plants is the New Zealand land flatworm (Arthurdendyus triangulatus). This animal comes from New Zealand and has been observed in England and Ireland, but not yet in the wild in the Netherlands. The species is listed on the invasive exotic species list of the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA).
New Zealand land flatworm
© Photographer S. Rae, Wikimedia Commons originally posted on FlickreviewR
There are several videos on YouTube of flatworms attacking other soil animals. Like this video.
2024-01-22 03:17:22
#Voracious #flatworm #Bonaire #Early #Birds #BNNVARA
