An invasive worm species from Asia that secretes a dangerous, paralyzing toxin has been spotted in the Montreal area.
Lisa Osterland, a retired teacher, found some twenty hammerhead flatworms earlier this week while removing slugs that were eating flowers in her garden in Westmount, Que., a municipality on Montreal Island.
A few sightings of hammerhead flatworms have been recorded in Gatineau and Montreal in recent years, but this is the first time that so many individuals have been reported in Quebec. The invasive species has no local predator and preys on slugs, snails and millipedes, Normandin explained - species that, he said, “provide a very important service, which is the recycling of organic matter.” The worm can therefore threaten ecological balance.
The worm originated in Asia and was probably transported to North America on cargo ships carrying plants, Normandin said. According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, invasive species can cost the global economy billions of dollars every year through negative impacts on forest productivity, agriculture and fisheries, as well as through measures to control their spread.
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