The invasive land flatworm Obama nungara in La Réunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean, the first report of the species for Africa

Abstract

The land flatworm Obama nungara, a species originating from South America and already invasive in many European countries, is recorded from La Réunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean. This is the first record of O. nungara from this locality and also the first record of the species for Africa. Three specimens were collected in 2021 and 2022, in the communes of Saint Paul, Saint Joseph and Le Tampon, respectively; the three localities are widely separated, with two in the Western part and one in the South-eastern part of the island. This suggests that the species is already present in several locations in La Réunion, and it is likely that the species is already present since 2020. The specimen from Saint Paul had the same cox1 haplotype as specimens previously recorded from several countries of Europe; it is hypothesized that the species was imported from Europe, probably from France. We mapped climatic suitability of the species in La Réunion and found that O. nungara could potentially invade a large part of the island. One record was apparently associated with the transport of plates of travertine, a construction material which has numerous cavities thus suitable for the transport and survival of adult or cocoons of land flatworms.

Rediscovery of Bipalium admarginatum de Beauchamp, 1933 (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Geoplanidae) in Malaysia, with molecular characterisation including the mitogenome

“…Land flatworms (family Geoplanidae) include about 300 species, mainly found in tropical areas, and are famous for their ability to conquer new habitats worldwide and to become invasive alien species (Carbayo et al, 2016;Justine et al, 2015Justine et al, , 2018Justine et al, , 2020bJustine et al, , 2021Justine et al, , 2022bSluys, 2016;Winsor, 1983). The Bipaliinae or hammerhead flatworms are among the giants in this family, with species reaching almost one metre in length (Kawakatsu et al, 1982); their area of origin is South-East Asia and Madagascar.…”

First documentation of Diversibipalium genus (Kawakatsu et al., 2001) Chennai district, Tamil Nadu state, India.

“…Only few molecular phylogenetic studies have been carried out that included representatives of the Bipaliinae and among these only a couple of studies included specimens that were identified on both molecular data and the anatomy of their copulatory apparatus (Morffe et al, 2016;Justine et al, 2022). In India needs more taxonomic research and surveys because of its vast biodiversity and cultures.…”

Bipalium admarginatumde Beauchamp, 1933 (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Geoplanidae) in Malaysia, with molecular characterisation including the mitogenome

“…Land flatworms (family Geoplanidae) include about 300 species, mainly found in tropical areas, and are famous for their ability to conquer new habitats worldwide and to become invasive alien species (Carbayo et al, 2016; Justine et al, 2021; Justine et al, 2022b; Justine et al, 2015; Justine et al, 2020b; Sluys, 2016; Winsor, 1983). The Bipaliinae or hammerhead flatworms are among the giants in this family, with species reaching almost one metre in length (Kawakatsu et al, 1982); their area of origin is South-East Asia and Madagascar.…”