List of invasive species in Italy explained

Many species of plants, animals, and other organisms are considered invasive species in Italy.

Plants

• Ailanthus altissima (Tree of heaven)
• Amorpha fruticosa (Desert false indigo)
• Ambrosia artemisiifolia (Amrosia artemisifolia)
• Carpobrotus edulis (Hottentot fig)
• Caulerpa racemosa (Grape caulerpa)
• Caulerpa taxifolia, Mediterranean clone
• Crassula helmsii (Australian swamp stonecrop)
• Eichhornia crassipes (Water hyacinth)
• Elodea canadensis (Canadian pondweed)
• Gleditsia triacanthos (Honey locust)
• Heracleum mantegazzianum (Giant hogweed)
• Hydrocotyle ranunculoides (Floating pennywort)
• Impatiens glandulifera (Himalayan balsam)
• Myriophyllum aquaticum (Parrot feather)
• Reynoutria japonica (syn. Fallopia japonica) (Japanese knotweed)
• Robinia pseudoacacia (Black locust)

Fungi

• Ophiostoma ulmi (Dutch elm disease)

Animals

Platyhelminthes

• Bothriocephalus acheilognathi (Asian tapeworm)^[1]

Molluscs

Marine

• Crassostrea gigas (Pacific oyster)
• Crepidula fornicata (Common slipper shell)
• Rapana Venosa (Veined rapa whelk)

Freshwater

• Corbicula fluminea (Freshwater bivalve mollusk)
• Dreissena polymorpha (Zebra mussel)
• Potamopyrgus antipodarum (New Zealand mud snail)
• Sinanodonta woodiana (Chinese pond mussel)

Crustaceans

• Dikerogammarus villosus (Killer shrimp)^[2]
• Eriocheir sinensis (Chinese mitten crab)
• Orconectes limosus (Eastern crayfish)
• Pacifastacus leniusculus (Signal crayfish)
• Procambarus clarkii (Louisiana crawfish)

Insects

• Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito)
• Cacyreus marshalli (Geranium bronze)
• Dryocosmus kuriphilus (Chestnut gall wasp)
• Drosophila suzukii (Spotted-wing drosophila)^[3]
• Harmonia axyridis (Asian lady beetle)
• Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Colorado beetle)
• Linepithema humile (Argentine ant)
• Ricania speculum (black planthopper)^[4]

Amphibians

• Lithobates catesbeianus (American Bullfrog)
• Xenopus laevis (African clawed frog)

Birds

• Alopochen aegyptiacus (Egyptian goose)
• Myiopsitta monachus (Monk parakeet) ^[5]
• Psittacula krameri (Rose-ringed parakeet)^[6]

Fish

• Ameiurus melas (Black bullhead)
• Gambusia affinis (Eastern mosquitofish)
• Lepomis gibbosus (Pumpkinseed sunfish)
• Pseudorasbora parva (Stone moroko)
• Micropterus salmoides (Largemouth Bass)

Mammals

• Eutamias sibiricus (Siberian chipmunk)
• Callosciurus finlaysonii (Finlayson's squirrel)
• Mustela vison (American mink)
• Myocastor coypus (Coypu, nutria)
• Nyctereutes procyonoides (Raccoon dog)
• Ondatra zibethicus (Muskrat)
• Rattus norvegicus (Brown rat)
• Rattus rattus (Black rat)
• Sciurus carolinensis (Grey squirrel)
• Procyon lotor (Common raccoon)^[7]

Reptiles

• Trachemys scripta elegans (Red-eared slider)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Bothriocephalus acheilognathi . . 22 June 2017 . Invasive Species Compendium . Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International . 2 October 2017.
2. Casellato. Sandra. La Piana. Giovanni. Latella. Leonardo. Ruffo. Sandro. Dikerogammarus villosus (Sowinsky, 1894) (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Gammaridae) for the first time in Italy. Italian Journal of Zoology. 2006. 73. 1. 97–104. 10.1080/11250000500502293.
3. Cini. Alessandro. Claudio. Ioriatti. Gianfranco. Anfora. A review of the invasion of Drosophila suzukii in Europe and a draft research agenda for integrated pest management. Bulletin of Insectology. 2012. 65. 1. 149–160.
4. Galetto . Luciana . Pegoraro . Mattia . Marzachì . Cristina . Rossi . Elisabetta . Lucchi . Andrea . Bosco . Domenico . Potential role of the alien planthopper Ricania speculum as vector of Flavescence dorée phytoplasma . European Journal of Plant Pathology . 1 August 2019 . 154 . 4 . 1103–1110 . 10.1007/s10658-019-01731-0 . 2019EJPP..154.1103G . en . 1573-8469.
5. Emiliano. Mori. Mirko. Di Febbraro. Massimiliano. Foresta. Paolo. Melis. Enrico. Romanazzi. Andrea. Notari. Francesca. Boggiano. Assessment of the current distribution of free-living parrots and parakeets (Aves: Psittaciformes) in Italy: a synthesis of published data and new records. Italian Journal of Zoology. 2013. 80. 2. 158–167. 10.1080/11250003.2012.738713.
6. Book: Menchetti. Mattia. Mori. Emiliano. Angelici. Francesco Maria. Effects of the recent world invasion by ring-necked parakeets Psittacula krameri. 2016. Springer International Publishin. 978-3-319-22246-2. 253–266. 10.1007/978-3-319-22246-2_12.
7. Mori. Emiliano. Mazza. Giuseppe. Menchetti. Mattia. Panzeri. Mattia. Gager. Yann. Bertolino. Sandro. Di Febbraro. Mirko. The masked invader strikes again: the conquest of Italy by the Northern raccoon. Hystrix. 2015. 26. 1. 47–51. 10.4404/hystrix-26.1-11035.