Species Accounts – Invasive Species Northern Ireland

Narrow-clawed crayfish

Pontastacus leptodactylus

Status:

Potential

Habitat:

Freshwater

Threats:

Can impact habitat structure and outcompete native crayfish

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New Guinea flatworm

Platydemus manokwari

Status:

Potential

Habitat:

Terrestrial

Threats:

Can cause declines of native snail species, with cascading impacts on food webs, decomposition, and nutrient cycling.

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New Zealand flatworm

Arthurdendyus triangulatus

Status:

Established

Habitat:

Terrestrial

Threats:

Significant reduction of native earthworms.

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New Zealand pigmyweed

Crassula helmsii

Status:

Established

Habitat:

Freshwater

Threats:

Competition with native species.

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Noble crayfish

Astacus astacus

Status:

Potential

Habitat:

Freshwater

Threats:

Negatively impact habitat structure with burrows, reduce native species, competition with native crayfish

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North American Beaver

Castor canadensis

Status:

Potential

Habitat:

Terrestrial

Threats:

Drastically reshape ecosystems by altering water flow, vegetation, and chemistry, which can increase flooding and productivity.

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North American signal crayfish

Pacifastacus leniusculus

Status:

Potential

Habitat:

Freshwater

Threats:

Detrimental impacts on white clawed crayfish. Human health impacts.

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Northern giant hornet

Vespa mandarinia

Status:

Potential

Habitat:

Terrestrial

Threats:

Canrapidly destroy beehives, poses a serious human health risk through painful and potentially lethal stings.

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Northern Pacific seastar

Asterias amurensis

Status:

Potential

Habitat:

Marine

Threats:

Causes major ecological and economical damage by preying heavily on native and farmed bivalves.

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