Deadly Australian spider comes to Britain (via Matt Salusbury)

With eight legs, lightning speed and a deadly bite, the only reassuring thing about the redback spider is that it lives 9,000 miles away in Australia.

But not any more. Redbacks have been discovered in homes across Britain, the most dangerous in a wave of foreign creepy-crawlies which are finding their way to this country.

Arriving in imported goods or the luggage of returning travellers, the invading species are able to survive in warm British houses even if they cannot cope with the climate outdoors.

Redbacks have been discovered in homes as far apart as Aberdeen, Swansea and Coventry, while in one incident a dozen of the creatures emerged from a crate at a factory in Preston.

The spiders, in the same family as the black widow, are named for the distinctive red stripe along the back of the female.

The pea-sized female is much larger than the male and is responsible for most bites, which cause extreme pain and swelling followed by nausea, chest pain, sweating, fever and possible respiratory failure.

In Australia 14 deaths have been attributed to redbacks, and each year 250 people need antivenom after being bitten. Victims are told to apply icepacks and to collect the spider so it can be identified.

The spread of the redback in the UK emerged in a survey of local authority pest control services, which highlighted the extent and variety of exotic pests now infesting properties across the country.

Whilst no national figures are kept – and in many cases, householders may have the creatures eradicated without ever identifying their type – experts in the field say that the number of such outbreaks is increasing year on year.

Richard Moseley, from the British Pest Control Association, said: "These insects move with trade and transport.

"As the world becomes, theoretically, a smaller place and people go on more unusual holidays and we bring in commodities from unusual places, the spread increases. These insects are on the move now."

Many of the species are tropical ants, which are difficult to eradicate from properties because traditional methods such as spraying their nests with poison actually cause them to spread, as the colonies split up and the ants build more "satellite" nests. Among those reported in British homes are:

– stink ants, which smell like rotten coconuts when crushed. Colonies have up to 100,000 workers and many queens. Hard to control because they establish subcolonies. They like fruit, especially melon, but will also feed on meats and cheese. They like to be near hot water pipes and in crevices near sinks and kitchen cabinets. Found in London.

– crazy ants, so-called because of their erratic, zigzagging path. They can bite causing rashes and are difficult to control as they forage over large areas, making their nests hard to find. Found in London.

– bigheaded ants, originally from Mauritius, are believed to be the newest arrival in the UK. They are able to chew on electrical wires and are on a list of the "world's 100 worst invasive species", maintained by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Up to a quarter of an inch in length, they nest in potted plants. Found in London.

– pharaoh ant – the most established of the invaders. They travel from room to room within the walls via plumbing pipes and electrical wires and are a particular problem in hospitals, where they can spread disease by getting into sterile dressings and even feeding on open wounds. In homes, they are also happy to feast on shoe polish and paints. Can nest behind skirting boards or in linen, curtain rods or stored newspapers. They got their name because of the mistaken belief that they had been one of the ten biblical plagues of Egypt. Found across southern and central England from Lincolnshire to Somerset.

– ghost ants – often mistaken for Pharoah ants, but are very pale in colour – hence their name – which can make them hard to spot. They can nest in wall spaces and potted plants. They usually forage in kitchens and bathrooms, because they need water. Found in London

– Argentine ants – they benefited from this year's balmy spring and appeared in record numbers. They are similar to native garden ants but more ferocious and are able to wipe out the British variety. They create nests under cookers, cupboards and floorboards. Last year Rentokil Initial carried out 13 per cent more treatments for ants than in 2009. Found in Lancashire and London.

Dave Coleman, from Camden council in London, said: "We have been increasingly getting different species of tropical ants. It started with the pharaoh ant, but we now have other strains. They come from all sorts of hot climes."

The survey also found reports of infestations of Oriental and German cockroaches, which can pass on diseases such as dysentery, gastroenteritis, typhoid and tuberculosis, at locations in London and Lancashire.

Dr George McGavin, an entomologist and television presenter, said: "It is very difficult to keep small things out of the country. Insects will always come in.

"Whether or not they can breed in the wild is a different thing. But we have lots of heated homes that are warm through the year with plenty of food available.

"So some species can survive in them and breed in them. Homes are a very big habitat now."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8885990/Deadly-Australian-spider-comes-to-Britain.html

Marine risk from skeleton fighting shrimp

A crustacean branded a 'skeletal alien invader' could be threatening New Zealand's marine biodiversity, marine scientists say.

The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) has issued a warning about the spread of skeleton shrimps called Caprella mutica in New Zealand waters.

In a statement it said the crustaceans were migrating around the country by attaching themselves to boat hulls or drifting algae.

They had recently spread to southern waters including around Dunedin, Bluff and Lyttelton Harbour and could pose a risk to other marine life.

NIWA biosecurity scientist Dr Chris Woods said the shrimps, known as the "praying mantis of the sea", would colonise artificial structures - sometimes appearing in huge densities on anchored buoys, fish cages, wharves and vessel hulls.

"Boat owners are saying to us, 'what are these waving things all over the hulls of our boats?' when they slip their craft and discover the hull alive with movement."

"The males often have big fights with each other, it's like seeing swinging handbags at dawn."

He urged boaties to be vigilant for the "marine invaders" and keep their vessels clean.

"It will likely spread to most areas of marine human activity throughout New Zealand in the near future, so please take care this summer when transporting your boat between different areas."

Caprella mutica was first detected by NIWA in the Port of Timaru in 2002.

They grow to 50 mm in length and are known for holding their enlarged claws in a mantis-like pose.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10783905

Invading cannibal ladybirds take over Britain's homes

Asian interlopers devour native insect populations and exude chemical that could ruin your curtains

It started with the squirrels – Britain's native reds being ousted by their ruthless grey American cousins. Now another battle is unfolding, one which could be even more catastrophic for an iconic species. Ladybird wars have broken out in the UK – and this time humans are caught in the crossfire.

An explosion in the number of harlequin ladybirds has led to people's homes being infested with the creatures – and threatened native ladybirds.

While the two-spotted and seven-spotted varieties are emblematic of the British countryside, the larger harlequin, first seen in the UK in 2004 and now numbering billions, has become the nation's most abundant species. Rather than feasting on aphids and greenfly, the harlequin also eats lacewings, hoverflies and even other ladybirds.

Dr Helen Roy, head of the national survey, said: "They are spreading at 100km per year, one of the fastest spreading insects worldwide."

The harlequin is a formidable opponent – in particular for the two-spotted ladybird with which it shares an ecological niche. Since the arrival of the harlequins, the two-spotted population has declined by as much as 30 per cent.

Ladybirds are brightly-coloured because they contain defensive toxic chemicals. The harlequin carries a more potent toxic cocktail and is larger than the two-spot. The invaders eat the larva of their British country cousins.

The two-spot, once the second-most common of Britain's 47 species, would not make the top 10 now, Dr Roy said.

The Harlequin, native to Asia, was introduced to America in 1988 and has become the dominant ladybird species on the American continent. The species has invaded most of western Europe, with the UK population growing from a small corner of south-east England to dominate the entire country, as well as parts of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

They have been known to hibernate in great numbers in dry places like garages and sheds in the autumn.

The harlequin menace is not contained to the insect world. Although they pose no threat to human health, they can be murder on the wallpaper. Last year's wet summer led to an explosion in their numbers and they are now taking winter refuge in houses.

Dr Trevor James, entomologist at the Biological Records Centre: Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, said: "The harlequin has a preference for buildings, and goes into a dormant phase over the winter time. If disturbed, they exude a yellow substance from their knees, which can stain wallpaper."

Noel Shiel, sales technician for rug and upholstery cleaners Pilgrim Payne, which has two Royal Warrants, for both the Queen and Prince Charles, said staining from ladybirds has increased threefold this year.

"There's a real epidemic, they are in almost every home. They seem to be attracted to sash and wooden window frames, and crawl up curtains, leaving orange stains." He said he had seen ladybird damage in some of London's smartest homes, including those in Eaton Square and Sloane Square. The Syrian Embassy had a big problem with ladybirds earlier this year.

Dr Roy does not recommend killing the harlequin, because insecticides could also harm the two-spot. But Tony Halliday, managing director of pest control company Biopest, said he treats ladybird call-outs with a residual insecticide.

And Dr Roy, who currently has more than 400 harlequins gathered in her window frame, believes the insects are here to stay.

It is bad news for the 0.1 per cent of the population estimated to have a phobia of ladybirds. Emma Citron, consultant clinical psychologist from the British Psychological Society, said: "It's not as common as a phobia of spiders, which affects up to five per cent of the population, or dogs, which affects around two per cent. I have helped people with a fear of ladybirds, and there is very little research to suggest it's caused by a bad experience or trauma.

"If someone is trying to tackle a fear, they should start by looking at pictures of ladybirds, using the words 'lady' and 'bird' in their conversation. Next, approach ladybirds, holding them in one hand, firstly far away from the body, then closer.

"People can try to help themselves get over their fear, but in extreme cases - if for example they would turn down invitations to parties in gardens because they are scared - they need help."

A bug's life: know your ladybirds

Harlequin ladybird

First seen in the UK in 2004, the harlequin is now the most populous species of ladybird. Feasts on aphids, other ladybirds, lacewings, hoverflies. Spreading at more than 100km a year, it is rapidly conquering the country. 

Seven-spot ladybird

Goes into leaf litter over the winter months. Historically, the most populous species seen in gardens. Now the second most numerous species, with distribution remaining high. 

Two-spot ladybird

Suffered dramatic decline since the arrival of the harlequin. A decade ago, it was the second most populous species, now not in the top ten of the 47 ladybird species in the UK. Feeds on aphids, shelters in people’s homes over winter months. 

14-spot ladybird

This aphid-feeder yellow ladybird has square spots. A common species, which has seen a rise in numbers this year. 

Kidney spot ladybird

This small, black ladybird with two red spots feeds on tiny insects. Often seen on deciduous trees, and hides in the cracks of deciduous trees over winter. 

Orange ladybird 

This ladybird feeds off mildew. Experiencing a huge distribution increase, thought to be because the warmer, wetter weather in the UK gives it more food. 

Eyed ladybird

Britain’s biggest ladybird, feeds on aphids, most usually found on conifer trees or sheltering in leaf litter over winter. 

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/invading-cannibal-ladybirds-take-over-britains-homes-6287000.html

Northern quoll threatened by cane toads

There has been an alarming drop in numbers of the northern quoll with the arrival of the cane toad in its habitat.


VIDEO AND TRANSCRIPT HERE: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-03/northern-quoll-threatened-by-cane-toads/3757428


Sarah Everingham

New invasive crayfish even more damaging

Environment Agency tracks alien invaders
January 2012. The Environment Agency is using radio transmitters to locate and track a ferocious predator invading English waterways. The virile crayfish, a highly aggressive non-native crayfish, is slowly invading waterways in East London. This unwanted visitor preys on native wildlife and spreads crayfish plague, a disease deadly to native white clawed crayfish.

First found in 2004
The Environment Agency is tracking the progress of virile crayfish by installing small radio-transmitters on the backs of these environmental trouble-makers. Originally from North America, their spread is unabated by cold weather. They were first found on the River Lee near Enfield in 2004 and have since colonised over 17 kilometres of the river and connected waterways, spreading into Hertfordshire. 


Preliminary results show that virile crayfish are moving upstream at a rate of 500 metres per month, substantially faster than their non-native cousin, the signal crayfish.

White clawed crayfish
The UK's only native crayfish, the white clawed crayfish, was wiped out along the River Lee following the invasion of the signal crayfish in the 1980s and the associated spread of crayfish plague. The Environment Agency's work on the River Lee in Cheshunt will give a better understanding of the movement and lifecycle of the signal and virile crayfish. By better understanding the spread of virile crayfish, this work will contribute to efforts to safeguard native white clawed crayfish elsewhere in the country. 

Adam Ellis, Environmental Monitoring Officer at the Environment Agency said: "Whilst rivers in England and Wales are cleaner than they have been for decades, there is still a lot to be done in order to return them to full health. This includes the control of invasive species like virile crayfish.


Read more:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/virile-crayfish.html

Kent's marine life 'threatened by Carpet Sea Squirt'

1 December 2011

Wildlife experts are fearing for the future of Kent marine life after the discovery of a highly-invasive creature on the coast.

Carpet Sea Squirt has spread cross much of the world, damaging shellfish and fishing grounds.
In the UK, it has only been found in a few marinas but has now turned up in Kent and has started to smother the famous Whitstable oyster beds.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-15982685

Goats and rats removed from two Fijian islands

Invasive species Cast Away in Fiji
December 2011. Goats and rats have been removed from two Fijian islands in a joint operation conducted by BirdLife International's Fiji Programme and the National Trust of Fiji aimed at protecting unique wildlife on Monuriki and Kadomo. "This is a massive achievement which will provide benefits for the iguanas, birds, plants and people of these islands", said Sialesi Rasalato from BirdLife International.

Seabirds and iguana
The Mamanuca island chain is a well-known tourist destination and nationally important for some unique and threatened wildlife. The islands of Monuriki and Kadomo are among Fiji's most critical islands for burrowing seabirds and endemic iguana.

Critically Endangered Fijian Crested Iguana
Monuriki was the location for the Tom Hanks film Cast Away which depicts his successful attempts to survive on the island following a plane crash. In real life, the 41 hectare island is home to less than a hundred Critically Endangered Fijian Crested Iguana Brachylophus vitiensis which are found on only a few islands, in the dry western side of the Fijian archipelago. Both Monuriki and Kadomo also provide vital habitat for nationally significant breeding colonies of Wedge-tailed ShearwaterPuffinus pacificus. Thousands of the fish-eating seabirds have excavated burrows across the islands in which to rear their chicks, and can be heard making their strange ‘baby-crying' calls after dark.

In 1999 and 2003, the National Trust of Fiji surveyed a few islands in the Mamanuca Group detecting a rapid decline in the iguana population as a result of major habitat degradation by goats. In 2009, BirdLife International undertook surveys that showed that rats and goats were also posing severe threats to the breeding seabirds on both islands.

Introduced by humans and alien to Fiji, rats eat many life forms including eggs, seeds, and insects, whilst goats eat all plants within reach and trample fragile seabird burrows.

Together these pests have substantially altered the ability of native plants and animals to exist on the islands and, if left unchecked, would lead to the loss of many including the shearwaters and iguanas. "Most documented extinctions, and present causes for decline among Pacific island birds, are the result of invasive alien species like rats and goats", said Elenoa Seniloli of BirdLife International.

Eradication of goats and rats
To deal with these threats, the National Trust of Fiji and BirdLife International carried out an intensive and complex operation to rid the two islands permanently of goats and rats.

For the goats, those that could be mustered and caught - by the local Yanuya Rugby Team - were taken to the mainland, while all remaining animals were later eliminated by professional hunters from New Zealand using trained sniffer dogs. The rats were eradicated by spreading specially-formulated rodenticide from a helicopter in a hi-tech procedure using GPS equipment and a specifically designed spreader bucket which could calibrate required bait-drops. If no sign of either pest are detected after two years, Monuriki and Kadomo islands will be officially declared rat and goat-free.

It's now vitally important that these alien creatures don't return, and project partners are calling for all visitors to check their boats and equipment for unwanted stowaways before landing on the islands. "It has taken years of preparation and work to rid these introduced pest animals from Monuriki and Kadomo, and a careless visitor could bring them back in a day", said Jone Niukula of the National Trust of Fiji.

"We ask visitors to be especially careful", added Joeli Vadada - landowner and National Trust of Fiji Volunteer Ranger for Monuriki Island. "Visitors to the islands need to check everything before they go ashore for stowaway seeds, lizards, rodents and insects."

BirdLife is now developing a bio-security programme that will provide further information and training to the Islands communities and tourist operators, enabling them to prevent pests from getting back to the Islands. "We also intend to work with the landowners in developing projects that enable them to benefit from the islands natural resources in a sustainable way such as through eco-tourism", noted Mrs Seniloli.

12th Island restored
This is the 12th successful island restoration programme completed by the BirdLife International Fiji Programme. With over 300 islands in Fiji there are many opportunities to eradicate unwanted pests and improve the future for biodiversity and people.

The planning, consultations, financing, technical assistance and implementation of the goat and rat operations have required numerous partnerships within Fiji and around the world. In communicating the project's success, BirdLife International and the National Trust of Fiji acknowledge that this result would not have been possible without the efforts of many, including Nadroga/Navosa Provincial Council, the Fiji Department of Environment, the Fiji Police Force, Biosecurity Authority of Fiji, Mamanuca Environment Society, the Pacific Invasives Initiative, Ross Wharfe, Luke Robertson, New Zealand Department of Conservation, skilled hunters, the David & Lucile Packard Foundation, the UK Darwin Initiative, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund and European Community and the landowners of Monuriki and Kadomo Mataqali Vuna-i-vi and Mataqali Namatua, Taukei Yanuya, and the village of Yanuya (Koro ko Yanuya).

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/do/ecco.py/view_item?listid=1&listcatid=1&listitemid=12364

Invasive Ant Dying Out

One of the world's worst invasive species, the Argentine ant, is mysteriously disappearing from New Zealand.

The Argentine ant poses a huge risk to horticulture and is a threat to native species.

They attack birds, have been known to eat lizards in New Zealand and the World Conservation Union classed them as one of the world's 100 worst invasive species.

The small, brown insects were first found in New Zealand in 1990 and have spread throughout the North Island, usually attracted to warm climates like Northland and Hawke's Bay. Their colonies reach as far south as Christchurch.

But, the population has just started dying off, though the reason for their deaths is unclear, Victoria University associate professor Phil Lester said.

Lester and masters student Meghan Cooling concluded the species naturally collapses after about 10 to 20 years.

The pair assessed about 150 sites throughout the country that have been populated by the ants.

The colonies disappeared from at least 40 per cent of the sites and populations had significantly shrunk at the other sites, Lester said.

They discovered some dead ants, but believed the others had decomposed or been eaten.

"At some sites they've disappeared all together and other native ants have reinvaded these areas," Lester said.

It was unclear why the invasive ant was disappearing, but Lester suspected it was due to a virus of some sort.

"Because they're collapsing on their own the country could save millions," he said.

When the species was first discovered in New Zealand the Government estimated the ants would cost about $68 million a year in pest control, Lester said.

They have destroyed farms overseas and killed off other species, but they haven't been so disastrous in New Zealand.

But they could potentially threaten the viticulture and horticultural industries if populations got out of hand.

If they were to reach Department of Conservation protected islands the results could be disastrous.

The ants are about 2-3 millimetres long and produce multiple queens and can form huge super-colonies that extend for thousands of kilometres, according to the Biosecurity New Zealand website.

They can bite and cause a reaction in some people.


http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/6069396/Invasive-ant-dying-out

Bill Nelson's effort to ban interstate python trade (Via Herp Digest)

Bill Nelson's effort to ban interstate python trade concerns Fla. wildlife officials
By Christine Stapleton Palm Beach Post- November 26, 2011

WEST PALM BEACH-
The good intentions of Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson to help control the invasion of Burmese pythons in the Everglades has Florida wildlife officials slightly cringing.

Nelson sent a single-page letter to President Obama on Thursday urging him to speed up the process for including the Burmese python and five other pythons roaming around South Florida on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's list of injurious species. That would trigger a ban on the import and interstate trade of the giant constrictors.

"These dangerous snakes have killed people including an innocent child, devoured endangered species and most recently, a Burmese python consumed a 76-pound adult deer," Nelson wrote in the letter. "Further delay is unacceptable and the consequences could be fatal."

While wildlife officials are all for eradicating the wild snakes, they say the unintended consequences of banning the import and interstate trade could lead to even more of the snakes being dumped in the wild by shady dealers stuck with an inventory of worthless snakes.

"We certainly have a concern, in the event they are put on the injurious list, of what would happen to the inventory of the commercial guys," said Scott Hardin, exotic species coordinator at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "We have seen cases when animals go on the injurious list and then all of a sudden you find them in the wrong place."

Last year Florida dealers and breeders lost much of their in-state business when it became illegal to acquire the six species of pythons as pets after the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission listed them as a conditional species.

Floridians who already owned pet pythons could keep them, but only reptile dealers, researchers and public exhibitors could apply for a permit to import or possess new pythons.

If pythons are further regulated and placed on the federal injurious species list, commercial dealers and breeders will not be able to sell and ship their snakes to buyers in other states, leaving them to figure out how to dispose of their pythons.

While most dealers are "trying to do the right thing," and would not release their snakes in the wild, "it certainly could happen with some of the marginal dealers," Hardin said.

David Barkasy and his wife, Katie Barkasy, are license dealers who have been selling reptiles for more than 20 years. Although the Barkasys do not breed pythons, they said their business ReptilesToGo.com in Myakka City would take at least a 10 percent hit if they cannot buy, sell and ship pythons out of Florida.

"Nationwide this is going to affect a lot of people," Barkasy said. "It's going to have a big impact."

As for dealers' inventory of pythons, if the injurious designation goes into effect, some will let them go in the wild and others will kill them, Barkasy said.

The FWC has no plans for getting rid of the dealers' unwanted snakes. The fate of the pythons "wouldn't be within our purview necessarily," Hardin said.

However, the commission does host non-native pet amnesty days, which allow pet owners to surrender their non-native amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, invertebrates and reptiles at specific locations throughout the state at no charge and with no penalties.

Since the first pythons were spotted in the wild in Florida in the 1980s, captures, hunting and escapes have grabbed headlines around the world. Although the exact number of pythons in the wild is not known, the U.S. Geological Survey has estimated between 5,000 and 100,000 in the Everglades.

The South Florida Water Management District petitioned the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to include the Burmese python as an injurious wildlife species in June 2006. As the district waited for approval, the number of pythons captured rose dramatically, from 170 in 2006 to 367 in 2009.

The district's petition went to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which held public hearings and developed a draft rule. The draft rule went to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, where it has sat for nearly nine months.

"In total, the rule-making process has taken almost five years and in that time, over 100,000 more giant constrictor snakes have entered the U.S.," Nelson wrote. "And until these animals are listed as injurious, they will continue to flow into the country unabated."

But the injurious listing could also encourage smuggling and illegal sales.

"A well-regulated trade is preferable to a black market," Hardin said. "We hope we can have conservation with flexibility and that it is equitable."

Are efforts to get rid of the snakes working? Hardin believes freezing temperatures earlier this year killed many snakes.

The more aggressive African Rock python is nearly 95 percent eradicated, he said.

"There are fewer pythons than there were three years ago," Hardin said. "I think we really have gotten better about knowing where to look."

Daddy longlegs on invasion march

Germany’s Ruhr region is facing an invasion of countless huge daddy longlegs, also known as harvestmen, as the creatures begin to colonize all of Western Europe.

Although the spider-like arachnids with a size of up to 18 centimetres are completely non-venomous, they’re clumping up by the hundreds on walls, castles and industrial ruins, forcing people to spend an inordinate amount of time cleaning them off, according to Die Welt newspaper.

This particular species of daddy longlegs is thought to have arrived in Europe a decade ago and then began spreading, the paper reported.

They were first spotted in the Netherlands, but have since been found in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

North Rhine-Westphalia, particularly the Ruhr region, is one of the invasion’s focal points, according to Matthias Kaiser, insect expert at NRW's Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection.

He said the animals would have found it difficult to come to Germany by themselves on foot, so he suspects they hitched a ride on imported produce from the Netherlands. He told Die Welt they need this kind of help to spread so far.

These daddy longlegs are likely to stay in Germany. Although they die off during the winter, their egg deposits remain, resulting in a new generation during the next warm season.

Luckily they are unlikely to displace native animal species, according to state officials. In fact, they may even provide new sustenance to predatory birds or spiders, Die Welt said.

Experts believe the animals will continue their spread toward the southeast of Europe.

The Local/mdm
http://www.thelocal.de/national/20111122-39023.html

Alien rats take on prey's role

Invasive rats are compensating for the loss of native pollinators in New Zealand, scientists report.

The rats, which are responsible for devastating the native pollinator populations, are attracted to the flowers for their nectar.

The results could mean that the decline of pollinating animals worldwide does not spell the end for all native plants.

The results are published in a Royal Society journal.

Almost 90% of the world's flowering plants are pollinated by animals.

Insect pollination alone is estimated to be worth £141bn ($224bn) each year, and according to a report from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) bees pollinate over two-thirds of the world's crops.
So the decline of the world's pollinating animals has unsurprisingly sparked concerns about lower yields and serious long-term food shortages among farmers and governments.

Conservationists also predict the loss of many animal-pollinated plants.

"New Zealand offers a really interesting and rare opportunity to look at what the consequences of species extinction [are] for... pollination," explained conservation biologist David Wilcove from Princeton University, US.

"We have this situation where almost all of the native vertebrates in New Zealand - birds, bats and reptiles - have disappeared from the North island... largely due to predation by rats," he added.

Read more here ...

Fighting against Florida's alien invaders (Via Herp Digest)

Fighting against Florida's alien invaders (Now the Tegu Lizard)
By Craig Pittman, Times Staff Writer, In Print: Sunday, October 30, 2011

One day this summer, Susan Arehart noticed her cat, Luna-tick, acting strangely. Arehart, a transplanted New Yorker who now lives in Riverview, thought maybe the cat was stalking a snake in the yard. But when she got closer, she saw what was it was: a big, black and white lizard with sharp claws, known as a giant Argentine tegu. She figured it was 4 feet long from the tip of its tail to the end of its forked tongue.

She thought it might run when it saw her. It didn't. "That thing stared me right down," she said. "It's not afraid of anything."

Everyone has heard about the pythons in the Everglades. State officials have told hunters to shoot them on sight. Congress is debating whether to ban their importation. Writer Carl Hiaasen jokes about how he'd like to see politicians out seeking a River of Grass photo op attacked by one.

But Frank Mazzotti, one of Florida's top reptile experts, thinks that what everyone ought to be talking about is the tegu - and also the Nile monitor, the Oustalet's chameleon and several other slithery species that have invaded Florida in recent years.

Unlike the pythons, which are pretty well dug in, Mazzotti said, "we've got 140 species that aren't established yet."

That includes species beyond South Florida - for instance, the tegu, a recent fad in the exotic pet trade. Some tegu owners have reported being surprised at how fast their little lizards grew, and how much they ate.

Five years ago tegus - either escaped captives or those turned loose by irresponsible owners - began popping up in rural and suburban Hillsborough County. On top of frightening homeowners and their pets, tegus eat the eggs and the young of ground-nesting birds and gopher tortoises.
State and federal officials should target those reptiles for removal now, before they get as entrenched as the pythons, said Mazzotti, a University of Florida wildlife ecology professor who has spent more than 25 years studying South Florida reptiles.

"The pythons are just the tip of the iceberg," agreed Steve Johnson, another University of Florida wildlife ecology professor who puts together the online newsletter Invader Updater about non-native invasive fauna. "An early detection network would allow for a more rapid response."
But at this point, Mazzotti said, "there's no money to do risk assessment and early detection." That's too bad, Johnson said, because "by the time we know they're here and established, it's difficult if not impossible to get rid of them."

Instead, most government funding is going toward trying to catch those elusive pythons. Mazzotti said the most effective python-catcher is what he called "the Judas snake," which is a male python outfitted with a radio transmitter and released during mating season to lead scientists to the females. The best catch ever made using a Judas snake, he said, was five females in one day - not a huge haul.
Mazzotti said the only thing that's really made a dent in the python population was last winter's long cold snap.

Mazzotti spent a fairly productive evening in South Florida last week collecting Oustalet's chameleons, voracious eaters which can grow to 2 feet long in their native Madagascar.

"There were more than 100 in a single avocado grove," he said.

Exotic invaders such as the Argentine tegu and the Oustalet's chameleons aren't just a nuisance. Harvard biologist Edward O. Wilson says introduction of alien species is second only to habitat destruction by development and agriculture as the leading cause of extinctions worldwide.
Invaders can wreak such havoc that the National Aeronautic and Space Administration, which has begun mapping the rapid spread of invasive species, has estimated they cost the United States $120 billion each year.

Although tegus have been spotted near Miami and in the Ocala National Forest, eastern Hillsborough County has had the thickest infestation, with 69 reports listed on Johnson's website. They may be attracted by the 500-acre Bell Creek Nature Preserve and the 4,900-acre Balm-Boyette Scrub Preserve, both of which are home to scores of gopher tortoises - and their eggs.

Bobby Hill is convinced all of those reports are "nothing but a crock." Hill runs Varnyard Herps Inc., a Panama City company. "I'm the largest breeder of these animals in the world," he said.
Hill says the tegus can be aggressive if provoked, but usually seek out human affection. He's convinced that while there may be multiple reports of tegus found in the wild, "it's the same animal" being sighted over and over, and not hundreds of them.

"How many Bigfoot reports have there been?" he asked.

Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spends $600,000 a year trying to track and eradicate invasive species like tegus. About $80,000 of that is aimed solely at reptiles. But more invaders show up every day. A study released this month by the University of Florida found more invasive species are making their home in Florida than anywhere else in the world.
That's not news to homeowners in Riverview such as Arehart.

"When I moved to Florida," Arehart said, "I expected seagulls."

Instead, the retired social worker has seen wild boar, coyotes and tegus. She suggested the state needs a new tourism slogan: "Come down to Florida and you can see everything!"

Arehart said she first heard about tegus four years ago when a tree service employee working for a neighbor reported finding "a dinosaur" in some branches. Soon, she said, "little kids walking home from school started taking pictures of them with their cell phones." Now, she said, "they're everywhere."
She's not the only Riverview resident who's freaked out about the big lizards that don't seem afraid of people. One of her neighbors shot one, she said. Another ran one over with a car. She tried doing that too, "but they're just too quick."

For the first time in her life, she's thinking about buying a gun - not for herself, but to protect her cat. Luna-tick keeps crying to go out, but Arehart won't open the door.

"I don't let her out now," she said. "I don't know what's out there."

Times researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report.

For a list of invasive reptiles in Florida, and a link to maps showing where they have been found, click on http://www.eddmaps.org/florida/species/type.cfm?id=6

To find out what you can do about non-native wildlife, go to: http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/what-can-i-do-to-help/


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Carpet Sea-squirt found in north Kent

THE invasive Carpet Sea-squirt (Didemnum vexillum) has recently been found along the north Kent coast.

This immobile tube-like invertebrate occurs in colonies, and has been introduced into British waters through aquaculture equipment, hull fouling and ship ballast water.

The Carpet Sea-squirt grows very quickly. It has been found to carpet whole marine communities in areas that it has invaded, having a significant impact on biodiversity and species richness. It particularly likes to grow on hard surfaces and can become a real problem to marine industries. It has no impact on human health.

Those work directly in the marine environment should remain vigilant for this and other invasive species. The species description document from the Non-native Species Secretariat (NNSS) provides detailed pictures and information about this species' appearance.

For those working along the north Kent coast in particular, please be aware of this issue and take special care to clean, disinfect and preferably dry equipment after use in the area. Hypochlorite has been found to be an effective disinfectant.

If you find any examples of this species, please report them directly to the NNSS.

http://www.fishnewseu.com/latest-news/uk/7000-carpet-sea-squirt-found-in-north-kent.html

Fears raised over mitten crabs' threat to Cumbrian wildlife

Wildlife experts in Cumbria are raising awareness of the possible threat to native wildlife if Chinese mitten crabs establish a population in the county.

An initiative by South Cumbria Rivers Trust helps protect habitats from invasive species and they are particularly concerned about this one.

If the crabs settle in the area, it could adversely affect native white-clawed crayfish, the Trust said.

The crabs were first spotted by Millom pier in 2005 but have not been since.

Named after their mitten-shaped pincers, they have soft bristles on their claws and can grow to the size of a dinner plate.

The wildlife experts are raising awareness so people in Cumbria can be on the lookout for the species and contact the Trust to deal with them.

'Wearing mittens'
Native to Asia, the crabs first arrived in Europe about a century ago and scientists in the UK are concerned they could take over many of the country's rivers.

Burrowing into riverbanks, they can cause them to collapse, increasing siltation within the water and impacting native fish species.

Bekka Corrie-Close, of the Cumbria Freshwater Invasive Non-Native Species Initiative, said: "If they do come here then it's going to be very difficult to get rid of them.

"If you see one you'd know that it's something a bit different, especially if they look at the claws as well, they really do look like they're wearing mittens."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-15428384

Zebra mussels invade more Northern Ireland lakes

Invasive zebra mussels have been found in another seven lakes in Northern Ireland.

The discovery brings the number of lakes or waterways in Northern Ireland known to have been invaded by the damaging alien species to 12.

The latest sites are all satellite lakes around the Erne waterway.

Lough Erne was one of the first to be infected by the mussels and it was inevitable that nearby lakes would eventually succumb.

Zebra mussels can cause the ecology of lakes to change substantially or even collapse.

The mussels out-compete the local swan and duck mussels leading to their extinction.

They also filter the water very effectively, making it so clear that plant growth increases dramatically choking the waterway.

The clear water also encourages toxic algal blooms and whole fish populations can change or even disappear because the mussels have altered the food chain.

The blocking of waterways and the loss of fish can also have a serious effect on tourism.

Another problem is caused by the sheer mass of the zebra mussels.

They can block the pipes of water intakes on boats and shore structures causing machinery failure. The cost of their removal can be considerable and is usually very difficult.

John Early of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) said: "Zebra mussels, which are native to the lakes of south east Russia, can attach themselves to any hard surface such as boats, buoys and water intake pipes, where they can form very dense clusters".

"Zebra mussels have spread to a number of unconnected lakes since their first arrival in the Erne system in the mid 1990s.

"Recent monitoring has confirmed that they are continuing to expand their range I would strongly urge boat owners to clean their boats and equipment to try and prevent further spread."

The NIEA is currently sampling a selection of other satellite lakes of the Erne to find out if they have spread any further. Once the mussels establish themselves in a lake, its almost impossible to remove them.

Lakes invaded by zebra mussels

• Abacon Lough 

• Derrymacrow Lough 

• Kilturk Lough 

• Castle Lough 

• Derrykerrib Lough
• Derrysteaton Lough
• 
Lough Keenaghan 

• Lough Erne 

• Carron Lough (Derrygonnelly) 

• Lough Neagh 

• Lough Bresk 

• Lower Lough MacNean

By Mike McKimm BBC NI environment correspondent
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-15403541

Invasion! Beware the killer hornet

This Asian menace is established in France and set to cross the Channel. Jonathan Owen reports

British beekeepers have been placed on red alert by a government warning that the UK is about to be invaded by the Asian hornet – a species whose favourite food is the honey bee. The aggressive hornet – Vespa velutina nigrithorax – hunts bees to deadly effect. Just a handful of the dark-bodied, yellow-legged hornets can destroy a bee colony in two hours.

They have already spread across France and into Spain, and are "highly likely" to reach Britain, according to the Non-Native Species Secretariat.

The Asian hornet, which can grow to 3cm long, was introduced to France in 2004, in a shipment of pots imported from China. It has swiftly adapted to the European climate. A single colony can produce more than 15,000 hornets. Earlier this month there were sightings in Belgium.

While the secretariat does not put a figure on the impact the marauding hornets could have on crops, it states: "If the UK were to suffer a total loss of pollinators (not just honey bees) the cost is estimated to be £440m per year."

The invading hornets are "very likely to survive eradication attempts" and will be a serious problem for beekeepers. The British Beekeeping Association has alerted members to prepare for the worst. It is calling on them to make beehive entrances smaller to deter the large hornets, use wasp traps, and report any sightings immediately.

And Stuart Roberts, chairman of UK Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society, said: "We're on red alert for any sightings ... There's not a beekeeper in this country who isn't aware that this thing is just on the other side of the Channel. We are all on the lookout."

Invasive species cost the British economy £1.7bn a year, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. And the Government is now drawing up plans to deal with the Asian hornet.

Norman Rabone, 66, a beekeeper from Gillingham, Kent, said: "Hornets are terrible killers of bees. They have a killer instinct."

Asian hornets usually build large nests in trees. As well as hunting honey bees, they eat other insects and feed on fruit and flowers.

People are also at risk. In France, at least seven people were taken to hospital in 2009 after being attacked.

Additional reporting by Antony Peyton
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/invasion-beware-the-killer-hornet-2371353.html

Natural born killers stalk Kiwi birdlife

Stoats have wreaked havoc on the birds of New Zealand. Now conservationists are fighting back

By Kathy Marks

In Britain, stoats are part of the rhythm of nature. They prey on rabbits and rats; they are preyed on by foxes and eagles. In New Zealand, whose only land mammals were two species of bats until Europeans arrived, stoats are the single biggest threat to the unique and increasingly threatened native birdlife.

 

A world leader in conservation, New Zealand has saved some of its rarest birds from extinction by ridding off-shore islands of predators. Stoats, which can swim, were thought to have a maximum range of 1.5 kilometres (less than a mile). Recently, though, the sleek, furry killers have turned up on an island more than five kilometres from the mainland, raising questions about the safety of offshore sanctuaries.

Many of New Zealand's birds live and nest on the forest floor. Some, such as kakapo, weka and kiwi, are flightless. When they feel under threat, they freeze, making them easy prey for animals such as rats, cats and ferrets. Stoats – introduced in 1884 to combat a rabbit plague – are particularly formidable predators. They can tackle animals 10 times their body weight; they hunt by day as well as at night; they can travel vast distances, climb trees, and survive in almost any habitat. They are also prolific breeders, and they kill far more than they need to satisfy their hunger.

"When stoats get into a seabird colony or chicken hutch, they kill everything," says Andrew Veale, an expert on stoat genetics at Auckland University. He cites credible reports of a moorhen being attacked by a stoat and taking off into the air, with the stoat still attached. Dr Veale says: "They are phenomenal killers, with an immense bite strength."

More than 80 of New Zealand's offshore islands are pest-free sanctuaries where all mammals have been removed through trapping, shooting, and dropping poison from helicopters. Last year, a stoat was found on Rangitoto Island, more than three kilometres off Auckland. The island had been declared predator-free only a year earlier, following a NZ$3m (£1.6m) eradication programme. By analysing the stoat's DNA, Dr Veale established that it was from the mainland. This year, three stoats have been trapped on Kapiti island, a wildlife reserve 5.2 kilometres off Wellington. Dr Veale believes a female swam over and gave birth.

Read on...

Trust turns to eels in war against US crayfish

By Nicholas Christian

THE battle against invading American signal crayfish is being stepped up in one of Scotland's biggest lochs.

 

Millions of crayfish have infested picturesque Loch Ken, north of Castle Douglas in Dumfries and Galloway, and efforts to control their numbers have failed.

Now thousands of European eels, which eat crayfish, are being introduced into a river that runs into the loch in the hope that they will reduce the population.

Fishing in the loch, the biggest in the south of Scotland, has been badly hit by the infestation of the American crayfish, costing the region tens of thousands of pounds.

The Galloway Fisheries Trust, which is behind the project to introduce the baby eels, believes that once they are fully grown the eels will leave the River Dee for the loch, where they are expected to devour large numbers of crayfish.

Rownan Armstrong, a biologist with the Galloway Fisheries Trust, said: "The eels are still young and it will take time for them to grow."

The loch and the River Dee used to be home to a healthy population of the eels, but following the construction of Tongland Dam, near Kirkcudbright, the numbers fell dramatically.

But now eels are being trapped below the dam and are being transported above it and placed in small burns in the lower river.

A Scottish Government-backed cull of the invading crayfish resulted in the deaths of two million two years ago, but it has made little impression on the fast-growing American species, which was introduced to the United Kingdom 20 years ago.

http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/nature/Trust-turns-to-eels-in.6850154.jp

Muntjac deer invasion could cost Scotland £1.9m a year

The cost of managing an invasive species of deer if it was to arrive in Scotland could cost up to £1.9m a year, according to a new report.

Muntjac deer are branded "asbo bambi" by critics in England where they roam free and are blamed for causing road accidents and damage to crops.

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) commissioned a report on how to deal with deer spreading to Scotland.

Managing muntjac like other deer was reported to run from £457,821 to £1.9m.

The report said eradicating an outbreak of muntjac could range from £3,683 to £60,625 per outbreak for populations of up to 200 animals.

Among the researchers' conclusions was for monitoring of the deer and killing them as soon as possible.

Muntjac could arrive by spreading through north west of England to the Solway Firth, or could head for patches favourable habitat around Kielder, Berwick-upon-Tweed and Dunbar, said the report.

Researchers asked Scottish councils for details on any zoo licences issued to keep the deer.

Only Fife Council said it had done so for animals at Fife Animal Park and at the Scottish Deer Centre.

The Highland Wildlife Park, at Kincraig; Camperdown Wildlife Centre, in Dundee; Auchingarrich Wildlife Centre, in Perthshire; Heads of Ayr Farm Park in South Ayrshire, and Jedforest Deer and Forest Park, near Jedburgh, all confirmed to having no muntjac in their collections.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-15197277

Giant Alien Snails Attack Miami, Though They're Not in Much of a Rush

MIAMI—Floridians have grown accustomed to invasions of exotic creatures, like the Burmese pythons slithering throughout the Everglades. But residents here are especially grossed out by the latest arrivals: giant African land snails that grow as long as eight inches, chew through plants, plaster and stucco, and sometimes carry a parasite that can infect humans with a nonlethal strain of meningitis.

The gastropods are among the most dangerous in the world, agriculture officials say. They each have male and female reproductive organs and can lay 1,200 eggs a year, allowing them to proliferate rapidly. Thousands of them have infested at least five separate neighborhoods in the Miami area.

Homeowners who discover the creatures in their yards often find them disgusting. The snails' engorged bodies extend far from their shells, and they eat so ravenously that they leave trails of excrement on walls and the ground.

Read on...
By ARIAN CAMPO-FLORES