A Moscow Visit of the Terrestrial Flatworm Species Obama nungara (Geoplanidae, Platyhelminthes)

Free-living terrestrial planarians originating from tropical/subtropical regions are common participants of biological invasions worldwide; in particular, 22 species have been recorded in the Western Europe. The dispersal of living flatworms and their cocoons is mainly connected with international horticulture trade of potted plants. Therefore, they readily inhabit glasshouses and plant nurseries; however, some species have established outdoor populations. Terrestrial planarians are voracious generalist predators mainly preying on earthworms, with potentially negative consequences for the functioning of soil ecosystems. In the recent years, a rapid eastward distribution of some planarian species has been recorded in Europe. In particular, it concerns Obama nungara designated as the most threatening invasive species of land flatworms in Europe. The present paper focuses on the first record of Obama nungara in Moscow (and Russia), at more than 1200 km eastward of the nearest European records. The animal was found alive in a plastic pot with soil and a small plant of Picea glauca imported from The Netherlands, which was bought in a garden centre in Moscow. The species affiliation of the flatworm was determined both morphologically and basing on the nucleotide sequence of the cytochrome oxidase C mitochondrial gene. The penetration of O. nungara into the European Russia, possibilities of its further distribution and establishment, and potential risks of its invasion for soil ecosystems are considered.