Invasive Species/Invasive Species List

This is the National Invasive Species Official List with information on each taxon. As indicated here, one should study the following:


 * Common name and Scientific Name
 * Pictures of the species with unique identification tips, damage it causes and life cycle
 * Region or Origin and Year of introduction
 * State or Body of Water where first discovered
 * How was it introduced
 * Transport – How is it spread and history of its spread throughout the country
 * Distribution Map
 * Mode of Reproduction
 * Adaptive Anatomy and special adaptions to the environment
 * Habitat Characteristics as diet, behavior, niche, species displacement, trophic level
 * Damage it does and how it effects the environment and natural food web of the environment-ecological, biological, human health and economic damage
 * Preventive Measures
 * Control Methods and Effectiveness of each methods
 * Laws or Regulations about collecting or distributing this species.

Class Insecta
Although this taxon is not specifically mentioned on the official list, it is a good idea to know that in order to be classified as an Insect, an organism must possess the following characteristics: For an explanation of these terms, please visit this site
 * It must be a member of Kingdom Animalia:
 * Multicellular
 * Eukaryotic
 * Heterotrophic
 * It must be a member of Phylum Arthropoda:
 * Chitinous exoskeleton
 * Jointed, paired appendages
 * Bilateral symmetry
 * Ventral nervous system
 * Open, dorsal circulatory system
 * It must be a member of Subphylum Mandibulata:
 * Mandibles flanking the mouth; used as jaws
 * It must be a member of Superclass Hexapoda:
 * 6 Legs
 * Head, thorax, abdomen
 * It must be a member of Class Insecta:
 * 6 Legs
 * 0-2 Pairs of wings
 * Generally at least one compound eye

Order Diptera: True Flies
Diptera is an order of insects with the following general characteristics:
 * Mouthparts: Suctorial, sponging (haustellate), some piercing; Antennae filiform, stylate, or aristate;
 * Eyes: Large compound eyes on sides of head, 3 ocelli on top;
 * Wings: 1 pair of wings, HW reduced to halters (vibrate during flight), some wingless; can hover, fly backwards, turn in place, & even fly upside down to land on a ceiling;
 * Thorax: Mesothorax larger than pro- or metathorax;

Asian Tiger Mosquito (Aedes albopictus)
Native to: Tropical and subtropical areas of southern Asia

Introduced to: Europe, North America, South America, The Caribbean, Africa, and the Middle East

Prevention: Monitoring and surveillance

Impacts: Carries diseases; lives close with humans instead of in the wetlands



Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Ceratitis capitata)


The Mediterranean fruit fly is considered one of the world's most destructive pests. It has a blackish thorax with some gray areas, a tan abdomen with dark stripes, and clear wings with light brown bands and gray flecks.


 * Origin, Year of Introduction: The Mediterranean fruit fly originated in sub-Saharan Africa. It established in Hawaii during 1910, and Hawaii is still infested with the fruit fly. California, Florida, and Texas have had infestations but successfully prevented the fruit fly from being established.
 * How was it introduced? : The Mediterranean fruit fly is often accidentally introduced by tourists or importers that bring in contaminated fruit.
 * Life Cycle, Mode of Reproduction: With optimum conditions, the fruit fly takes about 21 days to go from larva to adult. Under 50 degrees Fahrenheit, the fruit fly can take as long as 100 days to turn into an adult.

Mexican Fruit Fly (Anastrepha ludens)

 * About 7 - 10 mm (0.28 - 0.39 in.) in length, the MFF has yellow-brown body and wings, and green eyes. Females have long, tubular ovipositor sheaths relative to body size. Ovipositor sheath is 3.35 - 4.7 mm (0.13 - 0.19 in.) in length. Forewing is 6.6 - 9.0 mm (0.26 - 0.35 in.) in length. The maggots are legless and yellow-white.
 * The MFF spread through citrus orchards in Mexico up into Texas, Arizona, and California. The US is currently free of the MFF.
 * Adults survive for many months, occasionally almost a full year. Males are able to survive much longer than females, even as much as 16 months. The female oviposits in citrus and other fruit when the fruit begins to show color. Eggs are laid in groups of about ten and hatch in 6 to 12 days. The newly hatched larvae eat and burrow into the pulp of the fruit, taking on the color of their food so that when small they are hidden. When fully grown, the larvae emerge through conspicuous exit holes, usually after the fruit has fallen to the ground, and pupate in the soil. Larval development is approximately three to four weeks, depending upon temperature conditions. The development is faster where there are higher temperatures. Usually, the shorter the period for fruit maturation the faster the larva grows.
 * The MFF damages many commercial citrus crops such as mangos, tangerines, grapefruits, and oranges.
 * Malathion (an insecticide) is used, and releasing flies sterilized by irradiation can also be very effective.

Asian Long-Horned Beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis)

 * Identification- Adult beetles have bullet-shaped bodies from 3/4 inch to 1-1/2 inches long, shiny black with white spots and long striped antennae, 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 times the size of its body.
 * First discovered in Brooklyn, New York, 1996. It was later detected in Chicago Illinois in July, 1998. In October 2002, it was discovered in New Jersey.
 * The beetle may have been accidentally introduced through wood packing materials, or wooden crates and pallets.
 * The beetle can spread through lumber
 * Eggs are laid in the bark of trees. They take 10-15 days to hatch into wormlike grubs. Adult beetles emerge during the summer and live into early fall. Sexual reproduction.
 * The beetle primarily damages and kills maple trees. The larvae burrow through tissue that carries water throughout the tree, and the tree dies. Unseasonable yellow or drooping leaves are also signs of an ALB infestation. Excessive sawdust buildup near the bottom of the tree is also common. Pencil sized exit holes show where adult beetles have burrowed out.
 * Control methods- some control methods include quarantining the area where beetles have been discovered, or to destroy the infested trees.

Citrus Longhorned Beetle (Anoplophora chinensis)

 * The Citrus Longhorned Beetle was first detected in a nursery in Washington in 2001. It was transported to the US by global trade and movement of plants.
 * The CLB is approximately 21 - 37mm long with shiny black elytra marked with 10 to 12 white round spots. Males are smaller than females. The elytra of a male CLB is narrow compared to the female. The egg is creamy white but turns yellowish when ready to hatch.
 * 200 eggs are laid. They are laid under bark of the base of the tree.
 * Most activity occurs during the day.
 * They damage citrus trees, pecans, apples, cedar, oaks, and sycamore.
 * Red ants, burning trees that contain larvae, wire netting and insecticides help control the CLB.

Common Pine Shoot Beetle (Tomicus piniperda)

 * First discovered in Ohio in 1998 it was accidentally discovered from wood packaging material
 * Accidentally discovered from wood packaging material
 * Capable of killing or Damaging pine trees by feeding young shoots
 * Adult CPSB are brown to shiny black, and get darker as they mature. They are 3-5 mm and are a cylindrical shape
 * Females construct individual monoramous, vertical egg galleries within the inner bark that are 10 to 25cm long and about 2 mm wide. Females lay eggs singly in niches on both sides of the egg gallery. This species periodically sweeps its egg galleries clean of frass. Larvae construct galleries, 4 to 9 cm long, that are perpendicular to the egg gallery.
 * There are no chemical ways to kill the pest but a predatory beetle (Thanasimus formicarius Linnaeus) eats several pine shoot beetles every day.

Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis)

 * First seen in southwest Michigan in the summer of 2002 near Detroit.
 * Emerald ash borer adults are very small, metallic green beetles. They are about the size of a cooked grain of rice: only 3/8 - 1/2 inch long and 1/16 inch wide. EAB beetles live a total of three to six weeks. Larvae live under bark.
 * Once they find a mate, the female will lay 60 - 90 eggs, one at a time, in the crevices of ash tree bark.
 * Emerald ash borer probably arrived in the United States on solid wood packing material carried in cargo ships or airplanes originating in its native Asia
 * Killed tens of millions of ash trees in southeastern Michigan alone, with tens of millions more lost in Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Quebec, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
 * The adult beetles nibble on ash foliage but cause little damage. The larvae (the immature stage) feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients.
 * Intesticides sometime work.

European Spruce Bark Beetle (Ips typographus)

 * Adults 4.2 to 5.5 mm long, cylindrical and reddish or dark brown to completely black. The front of the head and the sides of the body are covered with long yellowish hairs. Four spines on each side of the elytral declivity, with the third spine being the largest. However, males have a larger head on the third spine than females and have fewer hairs on the pronotum.
 * It has been found on packing crates and unprocessed wood items. It is not currently in the US.
 * The male bores a hole into the bark of a tree, then mates with a few females. After hatching, larvae bore through the phloem (which transports food from the leaves), then turn into adults, leaving round exit holes on the bark. Males produce pheromones that attract both sexes to the host tree.
 * The beetle kills extreme amounts of trees, by boring through the phloem.
 * Mass trapping with pheromone bait and the entomopathogenic fungus B. bassiana (a natural pathogen of the spruce bark beetle) can be effective.

Asian Citrus Psyllid (Diaphorina citri)



 * Identification: The asian citrus psyllid can be identified by its mottled brown wings around the outer edge, which are broken by a clear stripe. It also has red eyes and short antennae.
 * Damage: Nymphs feed on new leaves and shoots, and can also infect the citrus tree with Huanglongbing, or HLB. The tree affected produces fruit low in solubles, high in acids, and bitter. When the fruit matures, the fruit has a green color on the navel end, which was the origin of the alternative name for HLB: citrus greening disease.
 * Life Cycle: Eggs are laid on tips of growing shoots on and between unfurling leaves. Females may lay more than 800 eggs during their lives. Nymphs pass through five instars. The total life cycle is about 15 to 47 days, depending upon the season. Adults may live for several months. There is no diapause, but populations are low in winter (the dry season). There are nine to 10 generations a year.
 * Region/Origin and Year of Introduction: The asian citrus psyllid is widely found in southern Asia. It was first detected in June, 1998 on the east coast of Florida.
 * State or body of water first detected: As stated above, the east coast of Florida.
 * How it was introduced: The asian citrus psyllid is theorized to have arrived on imported plants.
 * Transport: The asian citrus psyllid was transported around the country on nursery stock trees. It could also spread through backyard citrus trees.
 * Distribution map:

The orange areas are where only the psyllid has been detected. The green areas are where HLB has also been found.
 * Mode of Reproduction: Asian citrus psyllids are asexual, meaning that they don't need to find a mate to reproduce.
 * Diet, behavior, niche, species displacement, trophic level: Nymphs feed only on the new growths of the citrus tree. The adults feed on the leaves and stems.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys)

 * The BMSB was first discovered in Allentown (East Pennsylvania) in September, 1998.
 * The bugs have lighter bands on the antennae and coppery or bluish-metallic colored puntures (small rounded depressions) on the head and pronotum.
 * The BMSB was possibly introduced through shipping materials
 * The BMSB spreads through hitchhiking or transporting into many places.
 * Eggs are typically laid in May by adults that have hatched from overwintering, and those eggs turn into adults around July.
 * The BMSB feeds on fruits such as apples, peaches, figs, mulberries, citrus, and persimmons. This causes “cat facing” on fruits like apples.
 * Control: fixing cracks and holes where insects can enter building is very effective. Insecticides don’t last very long.

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges tsugae)

 * An aphid-like insect that coats itself in a white, waxy “wool” which acts as a protective coating for the insect. It is oval shaped and brownish-reddish in color.
 * The HWA is believed to have been accidentally introduced to Western America from Asia. It was first discovered in Oregon in 1924. In the eastern US, the HWA was first observed in Richmond, Virginia around 1950.
 * It can spread through the transport of infested hemlock trees, and was aided by birds, deer, humans, and the wind.
 * Parthenogenetic, which means that all individuals are female with asexual reproduction. There are roughly two generations per year. The first instar nymphs (crawlers) feed at the bases of hemlock needles.
 * Damage: the HWA causes various types of hemlock trees to die.
 * Control: Insecticidal soaps and horticultural oils kill only the insects on the tree at the time and require reapplication every 6 months. Imidacloprid works through soil drenching or injection into the trunk. Pseudoscymnus tsugae (ladybeetles) eats the eggs of the HWA. Many other ladybeetles are predators too.

Cactus Moth (Cactoblastis cactorum)

 * The cactus moth arrived in the Florida Keys in 1989, and was imported to the Caribbean to control prickly pear cacti, and arrived to the US either naturally or by imported cargo from the Caribbeans.
 * Adults are gray brown moths with faint dark dots and wavy transverse lines marking the wings. The antennae and legs are long. Caterpillars are pink-cream colored at first, then turn orange as they grow older. There are dark bands on their bodies.
 * Females lay 70-90 eggs on a prickly pear spine. The eggs hatch then eat the cactus, and repeat this process.
 * Damage- The moths destroy cacti.
 * Bacillus thuringiensis, wasps, ants, and quarantine can be used to control the spread of this moth.

European Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar)

 * Males are grayish-brown colored, have feathery antennae, and can fly. Females are larger, have threaded antennae, are whitish with black marks, and cannot fly.
 * The EGM was introduced from Europe to Medford, Massachusetts in 1869 by Leopold Trouvelot, who was attempting to breed them for silk production. A few escaped from his backyard rearing facility and began defoliating New England by the 1900’s. It was first discovered in Pennsylvania in 1932.
 * Spread: caterpillars are often blown around by the wind. Females sometimes lay their eggs on tires, thus the eggs land somewhere farther and start hatching.
 * The gypsy moth has one generation per year. Females lay egg masses on tree boles, vehicles, branches, etc. The egg masses are initially cream colored but turn lighter as the sun bleaches it. Most egg masses are 0.5 inches long and contain about 100 eggs. Mice, shrews, and ground beetles EAT the pupae and are a good control of the population at that stage of the moth’s life. Adults emerge about 2 weeks after pupation, living for a week, and do not eat.
 * The damaging stage of the EGM is the caterpillar (larval) stage. The caterpillars are voracious eaters of leaves, eating up to 1 square foot a day. They can defoliate host trees over a wide area. Hosts include conifers (pine, spruce), evergreens, willow, birch, etc.
 * The EGM can make trees more susceptible to Armillariella mellea (shoestring fungus) and the two lined chestnut borer (Agrilus bilineatus). Their frass can lead to less outside enjoyment and reduce economic activity.
 * Entomophaga maimaiga is a fungus that works, but it works best with wet weather. A nucleopolyhedrosis virus (LdMNPV) is effective because it only kills gypsy moth caterpillars. The Calosoma sycophanta, a metallic green ground beetle, was introduced to New England to help control in 1906.

Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana)

 * Forewing length is between 6 - 13 mm (0.2- 0.5 in.). Soft, scaled wings that cover the body at rest. The wing color of the LBAM Wing color varies from light brown to mottled brown. Dark tips may occur on wings. Males are usually smaller than females. Native to Australia. The LBAM has a characteristic “bell” shape at rest.
 * The LBAM was first discovered in California, 2007, though reports say that it was present in Hawaii in the late 1800’s. It is commonly found on international strawberry shipments.
 * Eggs (in clusters of 3-150) are laid 6 to 10 days after moth emergence on the upper surface of leaves or fruit. They are 0.7x1 mm, and appear flat with a pebbled surface. They overlap each other within the raft to form a smooth mass. Eggs are white to pale green, changing to a paler yellow green as they develop, and take from 5 to more than 30 days to hatch, depending on the temperature. As caterpillars develop, their darkening head capsule is visible through the egg wall, giving egg clusters a blotchy/ speckled look just prior to hatching.
 * The LBAM caterpillars feed on over 500 different plant varieties, and feed on the surface of the fruit. Once they break the surface, there are deep feeding scars.
 * A 20:1 mixture of (E)-11-tetradecenyl acetate: (E,E)-(9, 11)-tetradecadienyl acetate in a 3 mg dose per rubber septum mimics the sex pheromone produced by females, and mainly males are attracted to this. Parasitic wasps like Trichogramma feed on the eggs of the LBAM.

Chilli Thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis)

 * First discovered in Hawaii in 1987; first established population discovered in Florida in 2005
 * Pale yellow, almost white colored body, slightly less than 1mm in size. Mature adults have wings.
 * The two larval stages are complete in 8-10 days. Pupae are generally found on leaves.
 * Damage- the thrips create damaging scars, distorted leaves, and discolored buds and flowers. Causes defoliation and crop loss.
 * The thrips feed on over 100 plants including chili peppers, strawberries, tea, and tomatoes.
 * Minute pirate bugs can be effective in controlling thrips. Insecticides sometimes work.

Formosan Subterranean Termite (Coptotermes formosanus)

 * There are three castes: reproductive, soldiers, and workers. The winged reproductives emerge from the colony on warm, humid evenings to mate and start new colonies. They have pale yellowish-brown bodies about ⅜ of an inch long, and have two pairs of densely haired wings (tiny hairs). Soldiers are about ¼” long and have orange-brown, oval shaped heads. They are equipped with black, sickle-shaped jaws (mandibles) that are used to defend the colony from other ants and enemies. Workers have creamy yellowish bodies and are about ¼” long. They have hardened mouthpieces to chew through wood and cellulose products.
 * It was introduced into Hawaii from soil in potted plants and or in wood as ship's’ cargo. It arrived to the continental US on military ships returning from World War II carrying cargo in/on wooden crates and pallets from the Pacific theatre.
 * They spread through swarmers and can spread their range from heated buildings. The cold may limit their ability to spread.
 * Each newly hatched termite can turn into any caste.
 * It attacks wood and living trees, and will chew through thin material such as thin sheets of soft metal, electric lines, plastics, mortar, plaster, rubber insulation, stucco, neoprene, and seals on water lines.
 * Control: removing scrap lumber, firewood, etc. Pesticides may sometimes work.

Giant African Snail (Lissachatina fulica)

 * Light to dark brown shells with vertical stripes of a different shade of brown on them. The average adult shell has a conical shape and is about 4 inches in length, though some snails with 7 inch long shells have been found. They normally range from 3-8 inches, and live about 5-7 years. They eat more than 500 different species of plants, so are considered a very important pest in the US.
 * Native to East Africa, and can spread through pet trade. The first occurrence of these snails outside of Africa was Bengal, India in 1847. Giant African Snails were first spotted in the US in the late 1940’s around San Pedro, California. Many of these snails were affixed to cargo imported to the US.  Over 50 interceptions occurred within a ten year span (from 1948-1958) in the California ports.In 1958, a young boy stashed Giant African Snails into his suitcase from his travels in Hawaii returning to California and driving to Arizona.  Once the snails were discovered in his belongings, they family released them to the outdoors.  Another very similar incident occurred in 1966, where another young boy visiting Hawaii decided to take a few Giant African Snails home to Miami, Florida to keep as pets and were released into the family’s garden.  The Florida State eradication process took 10 years costing over one million dollars.These snails continue to enter the US through illegal trade or in shipping containers and in plant shipments from the Hawaiian Islands, Guam and other Pacific Islands.  Inspectors fairly easily identify these snails, intercept them and eradicate them. In the early 2000’s the introduction of Giant African Snails have also occurred in Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio due to pet store trade and educational institutions’ requests.
 * The GAS is a hermaphrodite, which means that is has the organs of a male and female. 5-6 clutches of 200 eggs are laid per year.
 * Damage: they can destroy a variety of plants, and if not cooked through before eating, cause meningitis.
 * Control: molluscicides (such as metaldehyde) are effective but negatively affect the soil. Iron phosphate does not affect the soil as much.
 * These snails have small spikes on the tongue (the radula) that allows it to grab food easily. The mucus they release lets them move over rough surfaces.