Invasive species Euglandina rosea (Férussac, 1821) (Gastropoda: Spiraxidae)

Abstract

Vrsta Euglandina rosea je kopneni mesojedni puž iz porodice Spiraxidae s prirodnim staništem na jugoistoku Sjeverne Amerike. Unesena je počevši od 1950-tih kao biološka kontrola invazivnih puževa na mnoga otočja Indijskog i Tihog oceana. Umjesto regulacije, presudno je doprinijela ugroženosti i nestanku velikog broja endemskih porodica kopnenih puževa tih otoka, posebno na Havajima i Francuskoj Polineziji. Stoga je uvrštena u IUCN- ovu listu ''100 najgorih svjetskih invazivnih vrsta''. U ovom su radu ukratko izložene osnovne biološke i ekološke osobine puža E. rosea. Detaljnije je opisan njezin učinak te prilagodbe koje je čine uspješnom invazivnom vrstom. Uz niz morfološko-ekoloških adaptacija, E. rosea ima i specifično razvijeni sistem predacije. Navedeno je i niz metoda koje se danas koriste u suzbijanju te upravljanju ovom vrstom.The species Euglandina rosea is a carnivorous land snail from the family Spiraxidae with its natural habitat being the south-east of North America. It was imported starting from the 1950s onwards as a biological control of invasive snails on many tropical islands of the Indian and the Pacific Ocean. Instead of regulation, it was crucial in contributing to the endangering and extinction of a large number of endemic families of land snails on the islands, especially in Hawaii and French Polynesia. Therefore, it is nowadays listed on the IUCN's list of 100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species. In this work, the basic biological and ecological characteristics of the species E. rosea have been briefly exposed. Further, their impact and adaptation as a successful invasive species have been elaborated. Along with a number of morphological and ecological adaptations, E. rosea has a specifically developed system of predation. Noted are a number of methods nowadays used in the prevention and management of the species