Alien Flatworms
Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2015 7:29 pm
Alien Flatworms:
I have recently found two alien flatworm species in Calderstones Park in Liverpool, these being Kontikia ventrolineata and Arthurdendyus triangulatus, both being from the Antipodes (one from Australia and one from New Zealand). They were probably introduced accidentally on the roots of plants brought in to populate the greenhouses which used to be in the Park. Hugh Jones is currently the Recording Scheme contact for England and if you find any flatworms in the Merseyside or Cheshire areaa (or surrounds) then records should be sent to both him and also (obviously) to either rECOrd or to Ben Deed at BioBank.
Hugh wrote this to me regarding the Kontikia ventrolineata find: "K.ventrolineata has been found in Liverpool since 1994 at Greenhill Nursery (now closed) in Garston (SJ402855), not far from your site. How long it had been there is anyone’s guess. Greenhill was a corporation nursery and two other exotic species could be found there, one only in the heated hothouses. I last visited Greenhill in 2012 (I got access by permission of the Parks Department) and found several of these and also another species with blue underside. I note that Calderstones Park is next to a botanic garden. Transport of plants is probably the main method of dispersal of this and other species, both locally and internationally. It would be interesting to know just how widespread they are in the Park and around Liverpool generally.
I would be interested if you should find any more records.
Sincerely,
Hugh Jones
Scientific Associate, Natural History Museum, London
6 off Hayfield Road,
Birch Vale,
High Peak,
SK22 1DG, UK
01663 745438
07752316074
E-mail: flatworm@btopenworld.com
I have recently found two alien flatworm species in Calderstones Park in Liverpool, these being Kontikia ventrolineata and Arthurdendyus triangulatus, both being from the Antipodes (one from Australia and one from New Zealand). They were probably introduced accidentally on the roots of plants brought in to populate the greenhouses which used to be in the Park. Hugh Jones is currently the Recording Scheme contact for England and if you find any flatworms in the Merseyside or Cheshire areaa (or surrounds) then records should be sent to both him and also (obviously) to either rECOrd or to Ben Deed at BioBank.
Hugh wrote this to me regarding the Kontikia ventrolineata find: "K.ventrolineata has been found in Liverpool since 1994 at Greenhill Nursery (now closed) in Garston (SJ402855), not far from your site. How long it had been there is anyone’s guess. Greenhill was a corporation nursery and two other exotic species could be found there, one only in the heated hothouses. I last visited Greenhill in 2012 (I got access by permission of the Parks Department) and found several of these and also another species with blue underside. I note that Calderstones Park is next to a botanic garden. Transport of plants is probably the main method of dispersal of this and other species, both locally and internationally. It would be interesting to know just how widespread they are in the Park and around Liverpool generally.
I would be interested if you should find any more records.
Sincerely,
Hugh Jones
Scientific Associate, Natural History Museum, London
6 off Hayfield Road,
Birch Vale,
High Peak,
SK22 1DG, UK
01663 745438
07752316074
E-mail: flatworm@btopenworld.com