Tough As Snails

The Fiji Times is reporting that a bunch of giant African land snails (Achatina fulica) were caught trying to sneak onto the island of Fiji this week. Luckily, they were caught during an inspection by the island's Quarantine Department and were properly disposed of. The article notes the threat the snails pose to agriculture, but also claims they are not a threat to humans. Regular readers of the ISW will remember that they can be carriers of the rat parasite Parastrongylus cantonensis, which can be transmitted to humans and has been known to be deadly.

Do click through to the full story, if only to check out the requisite photo of a giant snail. Fiji looks to have the coolest and toughest quarantine inspectors, do they not? If I were a snail I wouldn't mess with them! ;-)

(Thanks to monopolist for the punny title)

A Mile Wide

Islands Business is reporting that Fiji and Papua New Guinea are about to become home to a fungus that is a promising biological control agent. The rust fungus, Puccinia spegazzinii, has been previously used in other parts of the world to control the invasive mile-a-minute weed (Mikania micrantha, not to be confused with Persicaria perfoliata, the mile-a-minute vine we know too well here in the mainland US). Scientists have been rearing the fungus on in quarantine on Fiji for a while now, and are set to begin releasing it into the wild before the end of the year. Farmers that grow kava (Piper methysticum) as a crop are hoping the fungus brings them some relief, since Mikania is a host for a virus that is known to attack kava as well.

Bonus points to Island Business for using scientific names in their report.