An invasive flatworm from Brazil that poses a threat to soil health and wildlife has made its way to mainland Britain.
A 4.5cm Obama flatworm (Obama nungara) – not linked to the US president but named after the Brazilian Tupi words for leaf (oba) and animal (ma) – was discovered this summer crawling out of a Heuchera plant imported from the Netherlands at a garden centre in Oxfordshire.
Conservationists say this is the “smoking gun” which provides the direct link between the “virtually uncontrolled” trade in pot plants and the spread of invasive species.
The Guardian: Warning over invasive flatworm posing threat to UK wildlife
Comments