List of globally invasive species

This is a list of 100 of the "worst" invasive species in the Global Invasive Species Database.[1] The IUCN Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG), which maintains the list, acknowledges that "It is very difficult to identify 100 invasive species from around the world that really are 'worse' than any others."[1]

Criteria for inclusion

Two criteria were used in selecting items for the list:

According to the ISSG, "only one species from each genus was selected. Absence from the list does not imply that a species poses a lesser threat."[1]

100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species

Species Type Common names
Acacia mearnsii shrub Black wattle, Australian Acacia
Achatina fulica mollusc Giant African land snail, Giant African snail
Acridotheres tristis bird Common myna, Calcutta myna, house myna, Indian myna, Martin triste, talking myna
Aedes albopictus insect Asian tiger mosquito, forest day mosquito, tiger mosquito
Anopheles quadrimaculatus insect common malaria mosquito
Anoplolepis gracilipes insect Yellow crazy ant, crazy ant, gramang ant, long-legged ant, Maldive ant
Anoplophora glabripennis insect Asian long-horned beetle, starry sky beetle
Aphanomyces astaci fungus crayfish plague
Ardisia elliptica tree Shoebutton Ardisia
Arundo donax grass Giant Cane, arundo grass, bamboo reed, cane, cow cane, donax cane, giant reed, reedgrass, river cane, Spanish cane, Spanish reed, wild cane
Asterias amurensis sea star Northern Pacific seastar, Flatbottom seastar, Japanese Seastar, Japanese starfish, North Pacific seastar, purple-orange seastar
Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) virus banana bunchy top disease BBTD, abaca bunchy top virus, BBTV, bunchy top, bunchy top virus
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis fungus "Bd," chytrid frog fungi, chytridiomycosis, frog chytrid fungus
Bemisia tabaci insect cotton whitefly, sweet potato whitefly, sweetpotato whitefly
Boiga irregularis reptile Brown catsnake, brown tree snake, brown treesnake
Bufo marinus = Rhinella marina amphibian cane toad, bufo toad, bullfrog, giant American toad, giant neotropical toad, giant toad, marine Toad, Suriname toad
Capra hircus mammal goat
Carcinus maenas crustacean European green crab, European shore crab, green crab, shore crab
Caulerpa taxifolia alga killer alga, sea weed
Cecropia peltata tree faux-ricin, pumpwood, trumpet tree, snakewood
Cercopagis pengoi crustacean fishhook waterflea
Cervus elaphus mammal red deer, deer, elk, European red deer
Chromolaena odorata herb Siam weed, bitter bush, Christmas bush, devil weed, camfhur grass, common floss flower, jack in the bush, triffid weed
Cinara cupressi insect cypress aphid
Cinchona pubescens tree red cinchona
Clarias batrachus fish walking catfish, clarias catfish, climbing perch, freshwater catfish, Thailand catfish
Clidemia hirta shrub Koster's curse, faux vatouk, soap bush, soapbush
Coptotermes formosanus insect Formosa termite, Formosan subterranean termite
Corbula amurensis mollusc Amur river clam, Amur river corbula, Asian bivalve, Asian clam, brackish-water corbula, Chinese clam, marine clam
Cryphonectria parasitica fungus chestnut blight
Cyprinus carpio fish common carp, European carp, fancy carp, feral carp, German carp, grass carp, Japanese domesticated carp, king carp, koi, koi carp, leather carp, mirror carp, Oriental carp, scale carp, wild carp
Dreissena polymorpha mollusc Eurasian zebra mussel, wandering mussel, zebra mussel
Eichhornia crassipes aquatic plant water hyacinth, floating water hyacinth, water orchid
Eleutherodactylus coqui amphibian Caribbean tree frog, common coqui, Coqui, Puerto Rican treefrog
Eriocheir sinensis crustacean Chinese mitten crab, big sluice crab, Chinese freshwater edible crab, Chinese river crab, Shanghai hairy crab
Euglandina rosea mollusc Cannibal snail, rosy wolf snail
Euphorbia esula herb leafy spurge, green spurge, spurge, wolf's milk
Fallopia japonica = Polygonum cuspidatum shrub crimson beauty, donkey rhubarb, fleeceflower, German sausage, Japanese bamboo, Japanese fleece flower, Japanese knotweed, Japanese polygonum, kontiki bamboo, Mexican-bamboo, peashooter plant, reynoutria fleece flower, sally rhubarb
Felis catus mammal cat, domestic cat, feral cat, house cat
Gambusia affinis fish Mosquitofish, guayacon mosquito, Live-bearing tooth-carp, Mosquito fish, pez mosquito, western mosquitofish, Western mosquitofish
Hedychium gardnerianum herb ginger lily, kahila garland-lily, kahili ginger, wild ginger
Herpestes javanicus mammal small Asian mongoose, small Indian mongoose
Hiptage benghalensis shrub hiptage
Imperata cylindrica grass blady grass, cogon grass, Japanese bloodgrass, speargrass
Lantana camara shrub angel lips, big sage, blacksage, flowered sage, largeleaf lantana, prickly lantana, Spanish Flag, West Indian Lantana, white sage, wild sage
Lates niloticus fish Nile perch, African snook, nile perch, Victoria perch
Leucaena leucocephala tree White Leadtree, false koa, faux mimosa, faux-acacia, horse/wild tamarind, jumbie bean, lead tree, wild mimosa, wild tamarind
Ligustrum robustum shrub bora-bora, Ceylon Privét, Sri Lankan privet, tree privet
Linepithema humile insect Argentine ant
Lymantria dispar insect Asian gypsy moth, gypsy moth
Lythrum salicaria herb purple loosestrife, purple lythrum, rainbow weed, spiked loosestrife
Macaca fascicularis mammal crab-eating macaque, long-tailed macaque
Melaleuca quinquenervia tree Paperbark teatree, bottle brush tree, broadleaf paperbark tree, broadleaf teatree, broad-leaved paperbark tree, five-veined paperbark tree, paper bark tree, punk tree, white bottlebrush tree
Miconia calvescens tree bush currant, purple plague, velvet tree
Micropterus salmoides fish Largemouth bass, American black bass, bass, black bass, green bass, green trout, largemouth black bass, northern largemouth bass, stormundet black bass
Mikania micrantha vine, climber American rope, Chinese creeper, mile-a-minute weed
Mimosa pigra shrub bashful plant, catclaw, catclaw mimosa, giant sensitive plant, giant trembling plant, mimosa
Mnemiopsis leidyi comb jelly American comb jelly, comb jelly, comb jellyfish, sea gooseberry, sea walnut, Venus' girdle, warty comb jelly
Mus musculus mammal field mouse, house mouse, wood mouse
Mustela erminea mammal stoat, ermine, short-tailed weasel
Myocastor coypus mammal bewerrot, Biberratte, coipù, coypu, nutria, ragondin
Morella faya shrub candleberry myrtle, fayatree, fire tree, firebush
Mytilus galloprovincialis mollusc bay mussel, blue mussel, Mediterranean mussel
Oncorhynchus mykiss fish Rainbow trout, Baja California rainbow trout, Coast angel trout, Coast rainbow trout, Coast range trout, Hardhead, Kamchatka steelhead, Kamchatka trout, Kamloops, Kamloops trout, Lord-fish, Redband, redband trout, Salmon trout, Silver trout, Steelhead, Steelhead trout, Summer salmon
Ophiostoma ulmi sensu lato fungus dutch elm disease
Opuntia stricta shrub common prickly pear, Araluen pear, Australian pest pear, common pest pear, erect prickly pear, gayndah pear, sour prickly pear, spiny pest pear
Oreochromis mossambicus fish Tilapia, common tilapia, Java tilapia, kurper bream, Mozambique cichlid, Mozambique mouth-breeder, Mozambique mouthbrooder, Mozambique tilapia
Oryctolagus cuniculus mammal rabbit
Pheidole megacephala insect big-headed ant, brown house-ant, coastal brown-ant, lion ant
Phytophthora cinnamomi fungus cinnamon fungus, green fruit rot, heart rot, phytophthora root rot, seedling blight, stem canker, wildflower dieback
Pinus pinaster tree cluster pine, maritime pine
Plasmodium relictum micro-organism avian malaria
Platydemus manokwari flatworm New Guinea flatworm, flatworm, snail-eating flatworm
Pomacea canaliculata mollusc apple snail, channeled apple snail, golden apple snail, golden kuhol, miracle snail
Prosopis glandulosa tree honey mesquite, mesquite, Texas mesquite
Psidium cattleianum shrub cattley guava, cherry guava, Chinese guava, purple strawberry guava, strawberry guava
Pueraria montana var. lobata vine, climber Japanese arrowroot, kudzu, kudzu vine
Pycnonotus cafer bird red-vented bulbul
Lithobates catesbeianus = Rana catesbeiana amphibian bullfrog, North American bullfrog
Rattus rattus mammal black rat, blue rat, bush rat, European house rat, roof rat, ship rat
Rubus ellipticus shrub Asian wild raspberry, broad-leafed bramble, Ceylon blackberry, golden evergreen raspberry, Molucca berry, Molucca bramble, Molucca raspberry, robust blackberry, wild blackberry, wild raspberry, yellow Himalayan raspberry
Salmo trutta fish Brown trout, blacktail, brook trout, galway sea trout, herling, orange fin, orkney sea trout, salmon trout, sea trout, trout, whiting, whitling
Salvinia molesta floating aquatic fern giant salvinia
Schinus terebinthifolius tree Brazilian holly, Brazilian pepper, Brazilian pepper tree, Christmas berry, Florida holly, Mexican pepper
Sciurus carolinensis mammal gray squirrel, grey squirrel
Solenopsis invicta insect red imported fire ant RIFA
Spartina anglica grass common cord grass, rice grass, townsends grass
Spathodea campanulata tree African tulip tree, fireball, flame of the forest, fountain tree, Indian Cedar, Santo Domingo Mahogany
Sphagneticola trilobata herb creeping ox-eye, Singapore daisy, trailing daisy
Sturnus vulgaris bird common starling, English starling, European starling
Sus scrofa mammal pig, razorback
Tamarix ramosissima shrub salt cedar
Trachemys scripta elegans reptile red-eared slider, red-eared slider terrapin, slider
Trichosurus vulpecula mammal brushtail possum
Trogoderma granarium insect khapra beetle
Ulex europaeus shrub gorse, Irish furze
Undaria pinnatifida alga wakame, apron-ribbon vegetable, Asian kelp, Japanese kelp
Vespula vulgaris insect common wasp, common yellowjacket
Vulpes vulpes mammal red fox, black or cross fox
Wasmannia auropunctata insect cocoa tree-ant, little fire ant, little introduced fire ant, little red fire ant, small fire ant, West Indian stinging ant

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species". Global Invasive Species Database. Retrieved 26 January 2014.