Invasive species

The alien terrestrial mollusc fauna of New Zealand currently comprises 30 species, representing 15 families that were not part of the original New Zealand fauna. These alien species originate from Europe, North America, and the Pacific, although some may have been introduced secondarily from populations first naturalised elsewhere.

The species established in New Zealand are those associated with anthropogenic habitat in their native range, with great propensity for passive dispersal, and which have been widely distributed through human commerce. Several species established so early during the period of European settlement of New Zealand (early 19th century) that zoologists of that time thought them to be members of the native mollusc fauna.

Suggested reading

Barker GM 1989. Slug problems in New Zealand pastoral agriculture. In: Henderson IF ed. Proceedings of an International Symposium Slugs and Snails in World Agriculture. British Crop Protection Council Monograph 41: 59–68.

Barker GM 1991. Biology of slugs (Agriolimacidae and Arionidae: Mollusca) in New Zealand hill country pastures. Oecologia 85: 581–595.

Barker GM 1992. Naturalised terrestrial molluscs in New Zealand: Origins and establishment. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Entomological Society of New Zealand 41: 54–62.

Barker GM 1999. Naturalised terrestrial Stylommatophora (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Fauna of New Zealand 38. Lincoln, Manaaki Whenua Press. 253 p.

Barker GM 2002. Gastropods as pests in New Zealand pastoral agriculture, with emphasis on Agriolimacidae, Arionidae and Milacidae. In: Barker GM ed. Molluscs as crop pests. Wallingford, UK, CAB International. Pp. 361–423.

Barker GM, Addison PJ 1992. The pest status of slugs (Stylommatophora: Mollusca) in two New Zealand pastures. Crop Protection 11: 439–442.

Barker GM, Watts C 2002. Management of the invasive alien snail Cantareus aspersus in the conservation estate. DOC Science Internal Series. Wellington, Department of Conservation. 30 p.