Guinea Pig Revolution

As a nice followup to Sunday's post about feral guinea pigs (Cavia spp.) in Hawaii, Andrew B. sends in this article about feral guinea pigs in New Zealand. This time, a Kiwi couple has claimed responsibility for intentionally releasing the cavies into an island park, calling themselves "Freedom Lovers." Luckily, there were only four guinea pigs released, and they have all been recaptured.

Your Biggest Fanworm

Stuff.co.nz is reporting that a fanworm (Sabella spallanzanii) native to the Mediterranean may have established itself at a port in New Zealand. The marine worm was first found last month, prompting a thorough search that yielded several specimens. Given that this species is prone to forming dense mats, officials are looking into whether eradication is a possibility.

Get Consolidated

How would you like to own a copy of the "Consolidated list of environmental weeds in New Zealand"? You now can, as it's a free download from the NZ Department of Conservation. Maybe, though, the right question to be asking is instead "How can New Zealand consolidate a list of weeds when more that half of their flora is introduced?" They manage to do a good job of it, narrowing down the list to 328 plants, and displaying the whole thing in a nice set of tables in the Appendices that are just begging to be mined for data :-). Some notable entries:

• Prunus persica (Peach!) as an island invader
• Spartina alterniflora (smooth cord grass) - is there anywhere we haven't introduced that plant, including our own West Coast?
• The knotweeds listed under genus Reynoutria - I thought the battle of genera was narrowed down to Fallopia vs. Polygonum long ago, but then here comes Reynoutria bouncing back!

A pretty interesting read, and one many of us outside of New Zealand would never have seen had the government not released this doc to the internet. Thanks to Andrew B. for sending in a link!

What Can Brown Do For You?

Stuff.co.nz is reporting that the New Zealand government is using strong measures to deal with the potential introduction of the brown mussel (Perna perna) into Tasman Bay. The response stems from a incident in late 2007 where an oil rig relocated to the bay in order to "defoul" (cleanse itself of unwanted organisms). The rig got clearance from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Biosecurity New Zealand (MAFBNZ) after initial inspections failed to reveal any species that New Zealand considered to be a problem. However, bad weather kept the rig closer to shore than expected, and further testing revealed the hull may have been contaminated with the invasive mussels. When the government sent robotic cameras under water to investigate, they detected what appeared to be brown mussels living at the site where the rig was located. While the exact species of mussel still needs to be confirmed, MAFBNZ is moving forward this week with a dredging of the area of Tasman Bay thought to be impacted, and the rig's owners are footing most of the bill.

Thanks to Andrew B. for sending in a link to the story.

Little Miss Muffett

The Southland Times is reporting that a woman in New Zealand was recently alarmed to discover a redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti) crawling out of a decoration in her house. After she immobilized said spider with a pesticide and stored it for safekeeping, the NZ Ministry of Agriculture & Forestry came and picked it up, confirming the id and verifying that, luckily, there were not any additional spiders hanging about. The redback, which has a painful, venomous bite, is an Australian native that currently has some established populations in New Zealand.

Thanks to Andrew B. for sending in a link to this story.

Weekend Blog Blogging

The past few weeks in invasive species-related posts, from around the blogosphere:

• Paul at The force that through... posts about a Brazilian pepper bush (Schinus terebinthifolius) he found at Disney World.
• A Snail's Eye View has an interesting post about the invasive white snail (Theba pisana) threatening agricultural crops in Australia.
• Speaking of snails (who knew there were so many snail-related blogs?), A Snail's Tale posts about some interspecific competition between cats and rats on an island off the coast of New Zealand.
• Butterflies of Singapore has some excellent photos of a lovely painted lady (Vanessa cardui). While the species has ac osmopolitan distribution (thanks chelydra), BoS questions whether the discovered specimens were bred and released, or perhaps escapees.
• Politician Glyn Davies has a View from Rural Wales, and that view is filled with invasive American grey squirrels.

A Little Less Didymo

Diligent ISW readers may remember this post from October about the discovery of the algae known as didymo (Didymosphena geminata, also known as "rock snot") on the North Island of New Zealand. Tests done by Biosecurity New Zealand indicated the presence of dead cells of the algae in several North Island Rivers, with all signs pointing to the arrival of didymo after being known on the South Island for several years.

As a commenter noted, no live cells were found in the North Island samples, and now Scoop news is reporting that the actual source of the dead cells was...contaminated sampling containers. Lids used to seal the containers were sent off in sampling equipment with microscopic amounts of dead didymo cells left over from lab testing. The lab says they have protocols in place to prevent the transfer of any live plant matter, and it looks like they will be adding steps to prevent the transfer of dead organic material as well.

Tip of the virtual hat to the Protect Your Waters website for posting a link to this story.

Turtle Power!

Andrew B. sends in this story from the Manawatu Standard about the red-eared slider turtle (Chrysemys scripta elegans) in New Zealand. Sliders are North American species, and are often kept as pets or used as food in other countries. A wild slider was recently discovered hanging out by Kawau Stream and later captured by the New Zealand Department of Conservation. Apparently they've taken a liking to the turtle, who is now named Donatello. Wildlife officials aren't sure if the turtle is a recent escape, but New Zealand is currently thought to have too cold a climate for red-eared sliders to overwinter there.

Magnetic North

The Dominion Post is reporting on what is most likely the inevitable spread of didymo algae (Didymosphenia geminata, also known as "rock snot") to the North Island of New Zealand. Didymo has been recorded all over the South Island since it first was spotted back in 2004. Now tests done on water from several North Island rivers show evidence of dead didymo cells present in the samples.

With dead cells there, can live ones be far behind? This seems to be more about detecting *when* and not *if* healthy didymo arrives on the North Island and starts to spread. Biosecurity New Zealand scientists sound like they are ready and waiting with a rapid response protocol that includes closing off impacted rivers and treating them with chelated copper. In the meantime, officials are asking anyone using the waterways to employ their own "Check, Clean, and Dry" protocol in an attempt to prevent didymo from spreading.

Thanks to Andrew B. for sending in a link to this story.

Didymoron

Hawke's Bay Today is reporting that a man in New Zealand is alleged to have threatened to release the nasty invasive alga known as didymo (Didymosphenia geminata, also known as "rock snot") into the Waiau River. He reportedly called in the threat to the Wairoa Department of Conservation in response to their plans to begin poisoning local populations of rats and possums. Charges are expected to be brought against him, though a search of his house did not turn up any of the offending invader.

If he is found guilty, he could get 5 years in jail or a fine of $100,000 NZD (about $70,000 US). Personally, I'd rather he got one of those cool activist judges who punishes him not with jail time, but with something innovative. Like, say, a dunk tank filled with didymo...or stationing him at a boat launch and making him clean off anglers' boots with a toothbrush ;-).

DNA = Detect Nefarious Algae

ScienceAlert is reporting that a group of researchers at the University of Waikato in New Zealand have developed a "rock snot detection kit" that tests for the presence of the invasive alga didymo (Didymosphenia geminata, also known as "rock snot"). Using molecular tools, the scientists can detect didymo in concentrations of one cell/ml or less. I believe, if the protocol is the same as this presentation by the same scientists, that they have developed genetic markers for didymo and can run samples through PCR amplification to check for a match.

A tool like this would be quite useful for early detection monitoring, since didymo is most likely to spread into a new area long before it can be detected by the human eye. In fact, US researchers will probably want to get a copy of these markers to see if they match the recent didymo discoveries in the Northeast! Now if I could just find a paper published on the subject, so that I know this is not a recycled story from talks given on the subject in 2006.

Fungal Affection

New Zealanders might be happy to know that a graduate student is on his way to developing a biocontrol agent to deal with white-tailed spiders (Lampona murina and L. cylindrata). According to this story from stuff.co.nz, Nic Cummings discovered a fungus that kills the spiders, and is now attempting to grow it and hopefully tame it so that it can be placed in traps. White-tail spiders are originally from Australia, and were introduced to New Zealand over a century ago. While they are not venomous, their bite can transfer a bacteria that causes skin to erupt in a rash or even nasty blisters.

Drill Teams

Emergency preparedness drills occur all over the world. Here in the USA, we do them to test our preparedness for terrorist attacks and natural disasters like hurricanes. In New Zealand, they just finished one for invasive species. As reported by the Manawatu Standard, the Horizons Regional Council assisted Biosecurity New Zealand in performing a simulation in order to test how effectively they could deal with the invasion of the freshwater algae didymo (Didymoshenia geminata, also known as rock snot) in the Manawatu River. Didymo has already invaded New Zealand's South Island but has yet to be found in the Manawatu or other rivers on the North Island.

Thanks to Andrew B. for sending in a link to the story. Bonus points to the Manawatu Standard for including didymo's scientific name in the story.

Wrapped Response

The Marlborough Express has an article about New Zealand's Didemnum Working Group, which just took home the top prize at the Marlborough Environmental Awards. The team won $250,000 NZ dollars ($184,000 USD) for their innovative way of killing off infestations of Didemnum, an invasive sea squirt: they cover colonies in baleage (balage) wrap, plastic sheeting typically used to wrap up bales of hay. The plastic wrap, if applied properly, eliminates the flow of water within the sea squirt colonies, effectively cutting off the oxygen supply and killing the Didemnum. Test treatments have had a very high rate of success - Didemnum has been eliminated in 97% of the treatment areas. To see details of what is involved in this method of control, read the full report (pdf).

Bonus points to Didemnum Working Group chairman Graeme Coates, who apparently consented to being himself wrapped in plastic balage wrap for the award photo.

Six Skeeters Swarming

From stuff.co.nz comes this story about mosquitoes trying to fly their way into New Zealand...by hijacking a plane. NZ officials are being a bit weird about the whole thing, claiming that there were exactly six insects were involved (three Aedes vigilax and three Culex sitiens) and that all of them were intercepted. I know the mosquitoes were found in the cockpit, but it was a Boeing 737 - that's a big plane with lots of places for things to hide. Also, they set traps for adults and larva in the air hangar, and are refusing to release the name of the airline that owns the plane. Hmmm.

This is certainly not the first time foreign "mozzies" have been found in New Zealand. Here's a detailed report from back in 2002.

Thanks to Andrew B. for sending in a link to this story.

Not So Smooth Sailing

New Zealand appears to have avoided a potential fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) incursion thanks to a smart-thinking yacht owner. According to this report at Scoop, Biosecurity NZ officials were called to a marina in Auckland earlier this February when said yacht owner noticed the ants following a trip that included a stop in the Caribbean, where it is thought that the ants hitched a ride. The officials think the infestation was contained with insecticide treatments but are going to continue monitoring the yacht just to be sure. This story is just begging to be anthropomorphized (no pun intended) - I picture the fire ants hiding out until they thought the coast was clear, only to be confronted by backpack pesticide sprayer-gun-toting biosecurity officials staking out the yacht :-).

Thanks to Andrew B. for sending in a link to this story. For more ISW posts about fire ants, click here.

Vine, No Thank You!

The Auckland Regional Council in New Zealand is asking property owners to keep an eye out for the invasive moth plant (Araujia sericifera). The South American vine should be in flower across New Zealand right now, making it easier to spot. It doesn't sound like a friendly plant: the sap can cause allergic reactions, the seeds and fruit are poisonous, and the flowers trap moths, butterflies and bees. Anyone who finds a moth plant on their property is encouraged to dig it out (with gloves on, of course) or spray it with herbicide, and landowners in certain parts of the coutry are actually legally required to do so.

Possumbilities

Today the ISW adds a new entry to the "make lemons from lemonade" section of invasive species management: entrepreneurs in New Zealand making fur products out of the invasive brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula). The possums, introduced from Australia back in the 1800s, are now so numerous on New Zealand that "designers who use their fur are seen as national heroes" (hah!).

The full story is in The Independent. It's worth a read just to laugh at the thought of fashionistas using possum fur as a substitute for polar bear fur (!!) and wearing lime green possum fur bikinis and other unmentionables (NSFW link here if you must see). I guess it's better than the broad-spectrum poisons sometime employed to control the animals, but let's be real: it's called the fur industry for a reason. The majority of designers are doing this to make money, not to eradicate the possums...even if they are calling it "eco fur." Note also this article (.pdf) in an ecological journal from 1982, recognizing the risk of "crashing the market" by overharvesting and hypothesizing about maintaining a sustainable harvest.

Thanks to biosparite for sending in a link to the article, and to monopolist for coming up with the title.

These Boots Are Made For Algae

Interesting story at stuff.co.nz about how footwear may be contributing the spread of the invasive freshwater alga known as didymo (Didymosphenia geminata, also known charmingly as "rock snot"). Apparently the felt-soled boots that have become popular among anglers are impossible to clean or disinfect in a way that assures they are algae-free. The cleaning products that anglers normally use cannot penetrate the felt properly, and the felt stays wet for a long time, allowing any embedded algae to survive.

While there is currently no legal regulation outlawing the use of felt-soled boots, freshwater anglers are being urged to switch to foam-soled ones that dry out faster and are easier to clean. As far as I can tell, the advantage of the felt soles is to prevent slipping, but IANAF so anyone who knows for sure should feel free to leave a comment.

Welcome to the Club

The recent discovery of two different non-native aquatic species in New Zealand waters has apparently thrown biosecurity officials for a loop. First came reports that the invasive alga known as didymo (Didymosphenia geminata, also known affectionately as "rock snot") was discovered in rivers at the northern part of the South Island. The ISW first reported about rock snot back in December 2004, when it was first discovered at the island's southern tip. Biosecurity New Zealand thinks the alga was introduced at least three years ago, and while they are instructing boaters on the best way to clean their equipment, they admit that the chances of eradicating didymo are small.

Now there are reports that New Zealand must contend with a new marine invader as well. According to this October 6th story from the National Business Review, an invertebrate known as the clubbed tunicate (Styela clava) has been found in two different harbors on the North Island (Note: the article mistakenly links to a US report about Didemnum, a completely different genus of sea squirt). A recent report from TVNZ.com states that the tunicate has also been found on a boat at Picton, which is on the northern tip of New Zealand's South Island. Scientists are now scrambling to assess the extent of the invertebrate's spread. The TVNZ page has links to video clips of news reports that are critical of the government's response to the crises, following the revelation that BZN knew about the presence of the tunicates for a month before they reported it to the public.