List of invasive species in Italy

Many species of plants, animals, and other organisms are considered invasive species in Italy.

Plants

A female of Ailanthus altissima bearing a heavy load of seeds in Valladolid, Spain

Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)

• Ailanthus altissima (Tree of heaven)
• Amorpha fruticosa (Desert false indigo)
• Ambrosia artemisiifolia (Amrosia artemisifolia)
• Carpobrotus edulis (Hottentot fig)
• Caulerpa racemosa (Grape caulerpa)
• Caulerpa taxifolia, Mediterranean clone
• Crassula helmsii (Australian swamp stonecrop)
• Eichhornia crassipes (Water hyacinth)
• Elodea canadensis (Canadian pondweed)
• Gleditsia triacanthos (Honey locust)
• Heracleum mantegazzianum (Giant hogweed)
• Hydrocotyle ranunculoides (Floating pennywort)
• Impatiens glandulifera (Himalayan balsam)
• Myriophyllum aquaticum (Parrot feather)
• Reynoutria japonica (syn. Fallopia japonica) (Japanese knotweed)
• Robinia pseudoacacia (Black locust)

Fungi

• Ophiostoma ulmi (Dutch elm disease)

Animals

Platyhelminthes

• Bothriocephalus acheilognathi (Asian tapeworm)^[1]

Molluscs

Marine

A shell of the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha

• Crassostrea gigas (Pacific oyster)
• Crepidula fornicata (Common slipper shell)
• Rapana Venosa (Veined rapa whelk)

Freshwater

• Corbicula fluminea (Freshwater bivalve mollusk)
• Dreissena polymorpha (Zebra mussel)
• Potamopyrgus antipodarum (New Zealand mud snail)
• Sinanodonta woodiana (Chinese pond mussel)

Crustaceans

Louisiana crawfish (Procambarus clarkii)

• Dikerogammarus villosus (Killer shrimp)^[2]
• Eriocheir sinensis (Chinese mitten crab)
• Orconectes limosus (Eastern crayfish)
• Pacifastacus leniusculus (Signal crayfish)
• Procambarus clarkii (Louisiana crawfish)

Insects

Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis)

• Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito)
• Cacyreus marshalli (Geranium bronze)
• Dryocosmus kuriphilus (Chestnut gall wasp)
• Drosophila suzukii (Spotted-wing drosophila)^[3]
• Harmonia axyridis (Asian lady beetle)
• Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Colorado beetle)
• Linepithema humile (Argentine ant)
• Ricania speculum (black planthopper)^[4]

Amphibians

• Lithobates catesbeianus (American Bullfrog)
• Xenopus laevis (African clawed frog)

Birds

A male of Rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri) in India

• Alopochen aegyptiacus (Egyptian goose)
• Myiopsitta monachus (Monk parakeet) ^[5]
• Psittacula krameri (Rose-ringed parakeet)^[6]

Fish

• Ameiurus melas (Black bullhead)
• Gambusia affinis (Eastern mosquitofish)
• Lepomis gibbosus (Pumpkinseed sunfish)
• Pseudorasbora parva (Stone moroko)
• Micropterus salmoides (Largemouth Bass)

Mammals

A coypu (Myocastor coypus)

• Eutamias sibiricus (Siberian chipmunk)
• Callosciurus finlaysonii (Finlayson's squirrel)
• Mustela vison (American mink)
• Myocastor coypus (Coypu, nutria)
• Nyctereutes procyonoides (Raccoon dog)
• Ondatra zibethicus (Muskrat)
• Rattus norvegicus (Brown rat)
• Rattus rattus (Black rat)
• Sciurus carolinensis (Grey squirrel)
• Procyon lotor (Common raccoon)^[7]

Reptiles

• Trachemys scripta elegans (Red-eared slider)

References

1. "Bothriocephalus acheilognathi". Invasive Species Compendium. Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
2. Casellato, Sandra; La Piana, Giovanni; Latella, Leonardo; Ruffo, Sandro (2006). "Dikerogammarus villosus (Sowinsky, 1894) (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Gammaridae) for the first time in Italy". Italian Journal of Zoology. 73 (1): 97–104. doi:10.1080/11250000500502293.
3. Cini, Alessandro; Claudio, Ioriatti; Gianfranco, Anfora (2012). "A review of the invasion of Drosophila suzukii in Europe and a draft research agenda for integrated pest management" (PDF). Bulletin of Insectology. 65 (1): 149–160.
4. Galetto, Luciana; Pegoraro, Mattia; Marzachì, Cristina; Rossi, Elisabetta; Lucchi, Andrea; Bosco, Domenico (1 August 2019). "Potential role of the alien planthopper Ricania speculum as vector of Flavescence dorée phytoplasma". European Journal of Plant Pathology. 154 (4): 1103–1110. Bibcode:2019EJPP..154.1103G. doi:10.1007/s10658-019-01731-0. ISSN 1573-8469.
5. Emiliano, Mori; Mirko, Di Febbraro; Massimiliano, Foresta; Paolo, Melis; Enrico, Romanazzi; Andrea, Notari; Francesca, Boggiano (2013). "Assessment of the current distribution of free-living parrots and parakeets (Aves: Psittaciformes) in Italy: a synthesis of published data and new records" (PDF). Italian Journal of Zoology. 80 (2): 158–167. doi:10.1080/11250003.2012.738713.
6. Menchetti, Mattia; Mori, Emiliano; Angelici, Francesco Maria (2016). Effects of the recent world invasion by ring-necked parakeets Psittacula krameri. Springer International Publishin. pp. 253–266. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-22246-2_12. ISBN 978-3-319-22246-2.
7. Mori, Emiliano; Mazza, Giuseppe; Menchetti, Mattia; Panzeri, Mattia; Gager, Yann; Bertolino, Sandro; Di Febbraro, Mirko (2015). "The masked invader strikes again: the conquest of Italy by the Northern raccoon". Hystrix. 26 (1): 47–51. doi:10.4404/hystrix-26.1-11035.