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Selected resources for invasive
species related emerging issues are listed below.
A listing of previous emerging issues is available
on the Archives page.
2011
DEP
Reports Didymo Discovered in the West Branch Farmington River:
First Confirmation of this Invasive Species in Connecticut (Mar
29, 2011)
Connecticut Department of Environmental
Protection.
The highly invasive freshwater alga, Didymosphenia
geminata, known as "didymo",
has been discovered in the West Branch
Farmington River, a very popular trout
stream in northwestern Connecticut.
Chronic Wasting Disease Found In A White-Tailed Deer In Maryland (Feb 10, 2011)
Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
A white-tailed deer harvested in Maryland has tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease
(CWD). Chronic Wasting Disease is a transmissible neurological disease of deer and elk that produces small lesions in brains of infected animals.
Maryland joins 20 other states and Canadian provinces with CWD documented in deer, elk or moose.
State
Ag. Department Confirms Brown Marmorated Stink Bug in Michigan (Feb
1, 2011)
Michigan Department of Agriculture.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture
confirmed the presence of brown
marmorated stink bug (BMSB) in Michigan. BMSB can be a
serious pest of a variety of fruits, vegetables,
field crops, and ornamental plants. This is
the first confirmation of this pest in the
state.
2010
Items
of Interest:
Zebra
Mussels Found in Zorinsky Lake (Nov 22, 2010)
Nebraska Fish and Game Association
Forum.
The zebra mussel has been confirmed
in a southwest Omaha lake. It is the first time a zebra mussel has been found
in a publicly accessible lake in Nebraska.
Exotic
Fruit Fly (peach fruit fly) Found In Miami-Dade County (Nov
15, 2010)
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer
Services.
A peach fruit fly, Bactrocera
zonata, has been
found in a trap in a guava tree in Miami-Dade County.
This is the first Florida find
for this species of fruit fly.
New Soybeans With Seed Rot Resistance Identified
Agricultural Research Magazine (Nov/Dec 2010 - Vol. 58, No. 10)
The fungus Phomopsis longicolla is largely to blame for a disease called Phomopsis seed
decay (PSD) that has claimed more than 5 million bushels of U.S. soybeans each
of the past 5 years. The seed disease is most problematic in Midwestern and southern
states. An Agricultural Research Service pathologist and colleagues are conducting
a study to screen for PSD resistance in hundreds of soybean germplasm accessions,
breeding lines, and commercial cultivars collected from around the world. In
prior field trials, the team had identified several promising PSD-resistant soybean
lines from commercial varieties provided by Mississippi State University collaborators
and plant introductions from the USDA Germplasm Collection.
Invading Weed Threatens Devastation to Western Rangelands (Nov 11, 2010)
Oregon State University.
A new field study confirms that the invasive weed, medusahead, has growth advantages over most other grass species, suggesting it will continue to spread across much of the West, disrupt native ecosystems and make millions of acres of grazing land almost worthless. Scientists from Oregon State University and the Agricultural Research Service conducted a comprehensive study that compared the "relative growth rate" of this invasive annual grass to that of other competing species in natural field conditions. They found that medusahead has a faster growth rate, a longer period of growth and produced more total biomass even than cheatgrass – another invading species that is a major problem, but not as devastating as medusahead. The findings are published in the Journal of Arid Environments article Field growth comparisons of invasive alien annual and native perennial grasses in monocultures.
Invasive
Hemlock Insect Found in Kittery Point (Nov 5, 2010)
Maine Forest Service.
A new population of the invasive insect, Elongate
Hemlock Scale, that damages hemlocks, has been discovered in southern Maine.
Brown
Marmorated Stink Bug Reported in Indiana for the First Time (PDF
| 144 KB) (Oct 25, 2010)
Purdue University.
Extension. Department of Entomology.
Africanized
Honeybees found in Georgia (Oct 21, 2010)
Georgia Department of Agriculture.
Entomological tests have confirmed that Africanized
honeybees were responsible
for the death of an elderly man in Dougherty County last week. This is the first
record of Africanized honeybees in Georgia.
DEP
Reports Zebra Mussels Discovered in Lake Zoar and Lake Lillinonah (Oct
15, 2010)
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection.
The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced that the
aquatic invasive species, Zebra
Mussel, has been discovered in Lake Zoar and Lake Lillinonah, two large impoundments
on the Housatonic River in western Connecticut. This is the first report of a
new infestation since zebra mussels were first discovered in Connecticut in 1998
in East and West Twin Lakes in Salisbury.
Hunterdon
County finds first North American instance of invasive Chinese
pond mussel (Sep 26, 2010)
New Jersey On-Line.
New Jersey state biologists confirmed Chinese pond mussels were found in Hunterdon
County, after a recent DNA test. This is the first known intrusion of the freshwater
pond mussel in North America.
USDA Confirms Citrus Disease in Texas and Louisiana (Aug 23, 2010)
USDA. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced the presence of Elsinoë australis. This is the first detection in the U.S. of the fungal pathogen, which poses no risk to human health. Sweet orange scab is a fungal pathogen of citrus caused by Elsinoë australis that results in unsightly, scab-like lesions developing on fruit rinds and, less often, on leaves and twigs. The damage produced is superficial and does not affect internal fruit quality or taste. The disease was found as the result of surveys conducted under the USDA Citrus Health Response Program.
State
Researchers Find New Non-Native Invasive Species (Aug 19, 2010)
Massachusetts Energy and Environmental
Affairs.
A team of 20 scientists led by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management
and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sea Grant College Program discovered
the first European shrimp to appear in North American waters, in Salem on Jul
31. The shrimp, Palaemon elegans (known as "Rock Pool Prawn" in
England) is a carnivore, consuming large numbers of smaller crustaceans. The
discovery was made during a Massachusetts survey to collect, identify and catalogue
marine organisms in coastal waters from Cape Cod through Maine's mid-coast. Previous
surveys have revealed over 30 introduced marine organisms, several of which were
identified for the first time in New England coastal waters. These rapid assessment
surveys help scientists identify problem areas and find solutions to prevent
the spread of invasive species.
Federal,
State, and Local Officials Announce Discovery of Asian Longhorned
Beetles on Grounds of Boston's Faulkner Hospital (PDF | 58 KB) (Jul
6, 2010)
Massachusetts Department of Conservation
and Recreation.
The discovery of Asian longhorned beetles (ALB)
in six trees in Jamaica Plain represent the first confirmed Massachusetts presence
of Asian Longhorned Beetle outside Worcester County, where the invasive insect
was discovered in Aug 2008.
Leek
Moth Positive in St. Lawrence County, New York (Jun 22, 2010)
Cornell
Cooperative Extension Community Horticulture.
Invasive
leek moths have been confirmed in Canton this week. The moth attacks
the onion family—garlic, leeks, onions, chives
and their relatives. As reported in a story from
the North County Public Radio, the leek moth originated
in Europe and has been present in Ontario and Quebec since the 1990s.
It first appeared in the United States in Plattsburg, New York last
summer—and
has now made its way to Canton.
Mediterranean
Fruit Flies Found In Palm Beach County (Jun 15, 2010)
Florida Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services.
Mediterranean fruit flies have been
confirmed in Palm Beach County, Florida.
This is the
first major outbreak of Medfly since the
9 county eradication program in 1997 and
1998.
Didymo
Nuisance Blooms Hit Chilean Rivers (Jun 5, 2010)
U.S. Geological Survey. Fort
Collins Science Center.
An extensive bloom of the
invasive diatom known as "didymo"” (Didymosphenia
geminata) has been identified in South America
for the first time.
New
Zealand Mudsnails the Latest Invasive Species Detected at Lake
Tahoe Basin (May 29, 2010)
Tahoe Daily Tribune.
A new aquatic invasive species has surfaced at Lake Tahoe, the New
Zealand mud snail. Unlike zebra and quagga mussels, mud snails do not affect
water infrastructure and cling to boat engines. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
is stepping up inspections of boats at Lake Tahoe in an effort to keep aquatic
invasive species out of it. See Protect
Your Boat, Protect Lake Tahoe for watercraft inspection information.
Bat
Fungus Documented in Oklahoma (PDF | 92 KB) (May 19, 2010)
Oklahoma
Department of Conservation. U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
A bat from a cave in northwest Oklahoma has
tested positive for the fungus associated with white
nose syndrome (WNS). Laboratory tests by the U.S. Geological
Survey detected the genetic signature of the fungus
in a single bat submitted from Oklahoma. The presentation
on the Oklahoma bat was not typical of the way
WNS has been observed in bats in the eastern U.S.
This is the first discovery of the fungus in the
state and is the most western report of the fungus.
To date, all of the WNS cases have been east of
the Mississippi River.
Emerald
Ash Borer Found In Iowa Along Banks of the Mississippi River in
Allamakee County (May 14, 2010)
Iowa State University. Extension.
This is the first confirmed EAB infestation
in Iowa.
USDA Confirms
New Citrus Disease (citrus black spot) in Florida (Apr 8, 2010)
USDA. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
APHIS confirmed
the presence of Guignardia citricarpa, or
citrus black spot, in Florida. Citrus black spot
is a fungal disease marked by dark, speckled spots
or blotches on the rinds of fruit and is an economically
significant citrus disease. It causes early fruit
drop, reduces crop yield and renders the highly
blemished fruit unmarketable. The disease has been
a production problem in Southeast Asia, Australia,
South America and Africa and until now, hasn't
been reported in the U.S.
Deadly Fungus (white-nose
syndrome) Threatens 9 Bat Species in GA, KY, NC, SC and TN, Expert
Says (Apr 7, 2010)
USDA. FS.
Southern Research Station.
A leading bat expert identified nine bat species in Georgia, Kentucky, North
Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee that she believes are most threatened
by white-nose syndrome (WNS), a fungus that kills bats and appears to be rapidly
spreading south from the northeastern U.S. WNS
has been confirmed in Tennessee, and she says it is just a matter of time before
the fungus is detected in Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina and South Carolina.
White
Nose Syndrome Confirmed In Bats From Western Maryland Cave (Mar
18, 2010)
Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Biologists have confirmed that bat carcasses collected from a cave near Cumberland
on Mar 5, 2010 were infected with White Nose Syndrome (WNS). This is the first
confirmed WNS case in Maryland.
Deadly
Fish Virus Now Found in all Great Lakes (Jan 27, 2010)
Cornell University.
Cornell researchers report that viral
hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHS), a deadly fish virus, that
was first discovered in the Northeast in 2005 has been found for
the first time in fish from Lake Superior. That means that the virus
has now been documented in all of the Great Lakes. On a worldwide
basis, VHS is considered one of the most serious pathogens of fish,
because it kills so many fish, is not treatable and infects a broad
range of fish species.
Chronic
Wasting Disease Found in White-tailed Deer in Virginia (Jan
20, 2010)
Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
White-tailed deer have tested positive for chronic wasting disease
(CWD). This is the first confirmed case of CWD
in Virginia. Virginia now joins 17 other states and Canadian provinces
with CWD, five of which are east of the Mississippi River. |
