Scientists Discover New Invasive Flatworm Species in North Carolina

Scientists have discovered a new species of flatworm living in North Carolina. Although it was first spotted in the state in 2020, researchers think it originated from South America. In addition to North Carolina, the invasive flatworm, named Amaga pseudobama, has currently spread to Florida and Georgia. Scientists have reason to believe it may be present in other states as well.

What Do We Know About the New Species of Flatworm?

The species was found in potted plants in a commercial nursery in North Carolina. The nursery sent the flatworm to the university to identify its species. At first, researchers believed it was another invasive species, Obama nungara, which has been highly invasive across Europe. However, after further study, the scientists realized they were looking at an undiscovered species. The new species is brown and a little over an inch long. Flatworms are a large and diverse group, containing over 20,000 different species living around the world. Most flatworms reproduce asexually, and many of them are aquatic. Land flatworms are flat and covered in a shiny, slime-like coating that helps them move.

There Is Much More to Learn

Scientists still have much to learn about Amaga pseudobama. Co-author of the paper on the discovery and director of the Plant Disease and Insect Clinic at North Carolina State University, Matt Bertone said in a news release, “It [the new species] has not been observed in the wild or native habitats, so we don’t know much about how it interacts with its environment.” He continued, “We can infer from what we know about related species, but we don’t know precisely what it preys on, how quickly it reproduces, and so on.”

Is the New Species Damaging?

We may not know enough yet about Amaga pseudobama to understand its effects on the environment, but we can examine the impact of other invasive flatworm species. Land flatworms can easily hitch a ride on potted plants and end up spreading quickly across states. They may not pose a threat to humans or pets, but they can wreak havoc on soil health and native invertebrate populations.

Introducing invasive flatworms to an ecosystem can disrupt the natural balance as they prey on species such as earthworms, slugs, snails, isopods, and springtails. Once they are in the soil, they are hard to eradicate. Land flatworms have been around for hundreds of millions of years. They reproduce asexually, and cutting them in two results in two separate flatworms.

The Invasive Flatworm May Be in More States Than We’ve Identified

According to Bertone, the plants from North Carolina that contained the flatworm species were shipped from Georgia. Additionally, the species has been spotted in Florida. Bertone said that this suggests the flatworm “may be found across the Southeast.” However, he explained, “Until we have more confirmed observations of this species, we won’t know how established they are.”