Invasive flatworms in Europe
Alien terrestrial planarians or flatworms have made their way to Europe in the past. Bipalium kewense and Dolichoplana striata are considered ‘old invaders’ from Asia and have been discovered/encountered in Europe since the 19th century. In the past decades a global trade in exotic plants has been established. As a result land planarians have been found in gardens, orchards, stores and greenhouses across Europe. These land planarians are predators of ground dwelling invertebrates and can severely disturb soil ecosystems, which in turn influences agricultural processes. Due to this potential danger, Arthurdendyus triangulatus (New Zealand flatworm) is the first flatworm which was added to the list of Invasive Alien Species of Union Concern in July 2019 (EU Regulation 2019/1262).
![New Zealand flatworm (Arthurdendyus triangulatus) [CC BY 2.0]](https://www.bopco.be/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/New-Zealand-flatworm-Arthurdendyus-triangulatus-CC-BY-2.0.jpg)
DNA-based species identifications
Since morphology-based species identifications are not always possible (e.g. cryptic species, trace material, early life-stages), BopCo evaluates the usefulness of publicly available DNA sequence data to reliably identify invasive flatworm species. The results of these evaluations are presented as DNA factsheets (one per flatworm) compiled using publicly available DNA sequence data and information aggregated from various sources.
Each factsheet consists of two parts:
- a short introduction to the specific invasive flatworm, compiling information on its classification, as well as its native and invasive distribution
- an investigation with respect to the usefulness of publicly available DNA sequences to identify this invasive flatworm using DNA barcoding
The BopCo factsheets aim to inform policy makers and provide relevant authorities with an identification and detection tool for the verification of suspected invasive flatworm species.
Additionally, BopCo compiled separate factsheets of invasive animals and plants on the list of Invasive Alien Species of Union Concern.
Citation
– For the Invasive Flatworms Factsheets web page as a whole:
BopCo – Barcoding Facility for Organisms and Tissues of Policy Concern. 2024. Invasive flatworms factsheets. BopCo. Belgium. Available from: https://bopco.be/projects/flatworm-factsheets, accessed on DD-MM-YYYY.
– For an individual invasive flatworms factsheet:
See at the end of each factsheet.
