Discover the intriguing tale of a newly discovered species of flatworm that has made its way to the Southern United States, bearing a striking resemblance to an invasive species from South America. Explore the scientific investigation and the challenges this presents for understanding the distribution of this new threat.
Searching for a Mystery Invader
A disturbing study reports that a never-before-seen species of flatworm has invaded multiple states in the southern U.S. However, what makes this new species so unique is the fact that it looks remarkably similar to an invasive European worm — Obama nungara.
The new species has been named Amaga pseudobama and first seen reeling in North Carolina, USA 2020. The samples were initially misidentified as from the Obama nungara species, a flatworm invasive to Brazil and Argentina. It was not until a careful molecular study, slowed by lockdowns in 2020, that the scientists found out this was an entirely new species.
We next carried out a detailed morphological examination, in which we also performed an extensive molecular study, including the complete mitogenome description of this new species. The laborious process proved that, despite the very close similarity, Amaga pseudobama is a previously unknown species from South America and has never before been seen or studied. The group is made up of researchers from organizations in several countries, including the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, Drexel University and North Carolina State University in the US, James Cook University in Australia and the University of Szczecin in Poland.
The Invasion Spreader
However, the finding of Amaga pseudobama is intriguing in its own right, and it raises some eyebrows as well, since the species appears to have already invaded multiple southern states in the United States. Besides North Carolina, the scientists also verified that it’s found in Florida and Georgia suggesting it may have spread to more states.
The new species is just one of a number of invasive flatworms that have been found in the southern U.S., with Platydemus manokwari already established there. The rate at which these alien flatworms are spreading shows just how adaptable and problematic to the local ecosystem they could be.
Within it they mention the difficulty of confidently assessing the distribution range of Amaga pseudobama due to the striking similarity with Obama nungara. This similarity will be way too tricky to spot with citizen science data, most of which includes photos taken by ordinary people. They are nearly indistinguishable without lengthy analyses, so coming up with an accurate picture of the true scope of the invasion feels a monumental challenge.
The scientists stress the need for continual monitoring and further scientific research to ascertain the full scope of an Amaga pseudobama invasion. It will require sustained research investment in behavior, habitat preferences and impact on native ecosystems to design appropriate containment and management strategies for this new alien.
Conclusion
This finding of the new species Amaga pseudobama from the Southern United States, underscores anillustration of how continuing introduction of invasive species remains a challenge. Specializing on other land planarians, possibly putting native species at risk, and eerily similar to Obama nungara an invasive species from South America makes this new invader extremely complicated detection the full range of its distribution and nature of impact. As the scientific community works to understand and track the range of Amaga pseudobama, it is also very important to raise awareness and implement successful measures that can help protect the fragile ecosystems in this area from the potential destruction by this invasive flatworm.
