In a discovery that may horrify snail-loving gastronomes in France, researchers have discovered the presence of an invasive flatworm attacking escargot in Europe. The species originally came from New Guinea and this is the first time it has been seen in Europe.
Snails, commonly called escargot in France, are often served as a popular appetizer in many French restaurants. While many people have developed a taste for these succulent mollusks, it seems the hapless snails have also found their way into the New Guinea flatworm's menu.
The presence of the flatworm was first discovered after workers from a botanical garden in Normandy noticed a strange looking worm in their plants. After calling in a team of experts, the responding researchers discovered that the worm was a type of flatworm called the Platydemus manokwari. The incident can be considered as a worst case scenario owing to the fact that this species of flatworm is considered to be one of the "100 World's Worst Invader Alien Species." This extraordinarily invasive flatworm has the potential to wipe out all of the snails in Europe.
"These species may move to an invasive stage when optimum environmental and other conditions occur, and the flatworms then have the potential to cause economic or environmental harm," said the researchers who conducted the study.
The flatworms were originally from New Guinea and they may have reached European shores due to globalization, which has already caused the spread of hundreds of invasive species throughout the world.
"This species is considered a threat to native snails wherever it is introduced," said the research team. "The recent discovery of P. manokwari in France represents a significant extension of distribution of this Invasive Alien Species from the Indo-Pacific region to Europe."
The study was conducted by a team of French researchers, which includes Jean-Lou Justine, a scientist from the National Museum of Natural History. The team published their findings in the online journal PeerJ.
"If it escaped the hothouse, the flatworm might survive winters and become established in temperate countries," said Justine and his colleagues. "The existence of this species in France requires an early warning of this incursion to State and European Union authorities, followed by the eradication of the flatworm in its locality, tightening of internal quarantine measures to prevent further spread of the flatworm to and from this site, identifying if possible the likely primary source of the flatworm, and tracing other possible incursions that may have resulted from accidental dispersal of plants and soil from the site."
