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  • Organisation South Pacific Commission
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  • Organisation International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN)
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Analysis of the secondary nest of the yellow-legged hornet found in the Balearic Islands reveals its high adaptability to Mediterranean isolated ecosystems
Biodiversity Conservation, BRB
Available Online

Colomar, V.

,

Herrera, C.

,

Leza, M.M.

,

Marqués, A.

2019
The yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina) was detected for the ?rst time in the north of Spain in 2010, but was not detected in Majorca, Balearic Islands until 2015 and only one secondary nest, with 10 combs, was found in the northwest of the island. During 2016, nine more nests were found in the same region. To better understand the biology of V. velutina in isolated conditions, the following objectives were proposed: (I) describe the architecture and structure of nests; (II) analyse the shape of combs and develop a new method to con?rm the circular pattern of breeding; (III) determine the colony size and (IV) determine the succession of workers and sexual individuals throughout the season. For these reasons, nests that were removed were frozen for at least 48 days until analysis. Our results show that this species has a high reproductive potential under isolated conditions. Results reveal that parameters such as weight, height, diameter, number of cells and total individual production are directly related. Moreover, each mature nest can produce up to 9,000 individuals and several hundred potential founder queens. All results inform formulation of an e?cient control or eradication programme in the Balearic Islands, as we are in the early stages of invasion and intervention is essential to eradicate V. velutina on Majorca Island.
The potential detrimental impact of the New Zealand flatworm to Scottish islands
Biodiversity Conservation, BRB
Available Online

Boag, B.

,

Neilson, R.

2019
The New Zealand ?atworm, Arthurdendyus triangulatus, is an alien invasive species in The British Isles and the Faroes. It was probably ?rst introduced after WWII and is an obligate predator of our native earthworms. It was initially considered a curiosity until observations in the 1990s in Northern Ireland found it could signi?cantly reduce earthworm numbers. In 1992, it was scheduled under the Countryside and Wildlife Act 1981 then transferred to the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act in 2011 which makes it an o?ence to knowingly distribute the ?atworm. A retrospective survey in Scotland showed that it was detected in botanic gardens, nurseries and garden centres in the 1960s but then spread to domestic gardens then ?nally to farms in the 1990s. Although the geographical distribution of A. triangulatus was initially con?ned to mainland Scotland it was subsequently found established on 30 Scottish Islands. Most of the islands are to the north and west of Scotland and have cool damp climates which are favoured by the New Zealand ?atworm. These islands also generally have relatively poor soils that support grassland farming systems. Evidence from both Northern Ireland and Scotland suggests anecic species of earthworm which occur predominantly in grassland, which help drainage and are a source of food for both animals and birds are at particular risk from the ?atworm. The detrimental impact of the ?atworm on soil processes and wildlife has yet to be quantitatively evaluated but unlike many other invasive species there is currently no known means of control. The precautionary principle must be therefore applied wherever possible and every opportunity taken to stop its further spread.