A large flatworm considered one of the world's most invasive species is on the trudge. It has been newly detected in Florida — a discovery that puts the entire country at risk of invasion, according to experts.
The New Guinea flatworm, which lives on the ground but can climb trees in pursuit of its prey, is on the "100 Worst Invasive Alien Species" list of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Researchers say that if the flatworm invades a region where it has no natural predators, it can have a devastating impact on native species that have to compete with it.
The flatworm, which can grow to 2.5 inches long, is known to feast heavily on native mollusks such as snails — wrapping itself around them and consuming its prey using a mouthlike structure on its bottom side.
Native snails perform a critical function in their ecosystems – consuming rotting vegetation – and they also provide an important food source for local wildlife up through the food chain. That food source could be lost if flatworms gain a foothold within an ecosystem, experts warn.
And if the flatworms – whose scientific name is Platydemus manokwari – can't find snails, they've been known to go after native earthworms, which play an important role in agriculture.
In addition to Florida, other locations where the worm has never been previously reported but has now been detected include Puerto Rico, Singapore, New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands, researchers are reporting in the journal PeerJ.
While most previous infestations have been limited to islands, the discovery of the worms on the U.S. mainland is a major concern.
"The newly reported presence of the species in mainland U.S. in Florida should be considered a potential major threat to the whole U.S. and even the Americas," the researchers wrote in their study.
There was great anxiety when the flatworms were detected in France in 2014.
"All snails in Europe could be wiped out," Jean-Lou Justine of France's National Museum of Natural History said at the time. "It may seem ironic, but it's worth pointing out the effect that this will have on French cooking."
In their previous spread among islands, the flatworms were carried there in either in plant matter or infested soil.
Having now arrived in the continental U.S., there is considerable worry about how far the invasive worms might be able to spread on their own.
The New Guinea Flatworm was thought to have arrived in Florida sometime in 2012, and it is now present in several locations throughout Miami-Dade Country.
