List of invasive species in Italy

Last updated March 02, 2025

Many species of plants, animals, and other organisms are considered invasive species in Italy.

Plants

A female of Ailanthus altissima bearing a heavy load of seeds in Valladolid, Spain Ailanthus-altissima.jpg — A female of *Ailanthus altissima* bearing a heavy load of seeds in Valladolid, Spain

Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) Robinia-pseudoacacia-12-V-2007-6025.jpg — Black locust ( *Robinia pseudoacacia* )

Ailanthus altissima (Tree of heaven)
Amorpha fruticosa (Desert false indigo)
Ambrosia artemisiifolia (Amrosia artemisifolia)
Carpobrotus edulis (Hottentot fig)
Caulerpa racemosa (Grape caulerpa)
Caulerpa taxifolia , Mediterranean clone
Crassula helmsii (Australian swamp stonecrop)
Eichhornia crassipes (Water hyacinth)
Elodea canadensis (Canadian pondweed)
Gleditsia triacanthos (Honey locust)
Heracleum mantegazzianum (Giant hogweed)
Hydrocotyle ranunculoides (Floating pennywort)
Impatiens glandulifera (Himalayan balsam)
Myriophyllum aquaticum (Parrot feather)
Reynoutria japonica (syn. Fallopia japonica) (Japanese knotweed)
Robinia pseudoacacia (Black locust)

Fungi

Ophiostoma ulmi (Dutch elm disease)

Animals

Platyhelminthes

Bothriocephalus acheilognathi (Asian tapeworm)^[1]
Bipalium kewense (Shovel-headed garden worm)^[2]

Molluscs

Marine

Crassostrea gigas (Pacific oyster)
Crepidula fornicata (Common slipper shell)
Rapana Venosa (Veined rapa whelk)

Freshwater

Corbicula fluminea (Freshwater bivalve mollusk)
Dreissena polymorpha (Zebra mussel)
Potamopyrgus antipodarum (New Zealand mud snail)
Sinanodonta woodiana (Chinese pond mussel)

Crustaceans

Dikerogammarus villosus (Killer shrimp)^[3]
Eriocheir sinensis (Chinese mitten crab)
Orconectes limosus (Eastern crayfish)
Pacifastacus leniusculus (Signal crayfish)
Procambarus clarkii (Louisiana crawfish)

Insects

Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito)
Cacyreus marshalli (Geranium bronze)
Dryocosmus kuriphilus (Chestnut gall wasp)
Drosophila suzukii (Spotted-wing drosophila)^[4]
Harmonia axyridis (Asian lady beetle)
Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Colorado beetle)
Linepithema humile (Argentine ant)
Ricania speculum (black planthopper)^[5]

Amphibians

Lithobates catesbeianus (American Bullfrog)
Xenopus laevis (African clawed frog)

Birds

Alopochen aegyptiacus (Egyptian goose)
Myiopsitta monachus (Monk parakeet) ^[6]
Psittacula krameri (Rose-ringed parakeet)^[7]

Fish

Ameiurus melas (Black bullhead)
Gambusia affinis (Eastern mosquitofish)
Lepomis gibbosus (Pumpkinseed sunfish)
Pseudorasbora parva (Stone moroko)
Micropterus salmoides (Largemouth Bass)

Mammals

Eutamias sibiricus (Siberian chipmunk)
Callosciurus finlaysonii (Finlayson's squirrel)
Mustela vison (American mink)
Myocastor coypus (Coypu, nutria)
Nyctereutes procyonoides (Raccoon dog)
Ondatra zibethicus (Muskrat)
Rattus norvegicus (Brown rat)
Rattus rattus (Black rat)
Sciurus carolinensis (Grey squirrel)
Procyon lotor (Common raccoon)^[8]

Reptiles

Trachemys scripta elegans (Red-eared slider)

References

↑ "Bothriocephalus acheilognathi". Invasive Species Compendium. Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
↑ <E. Mori et al.> (26 September 2021). "Discovering the Pandora's box: the invasion of alien flatworms in Italy" (PDF). Biological Invasions. Springer Nature. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
↑ Casellato, Sandra; La Piana, Giovanni; Latella, Leonardo; Ruffo, Sandro (2006). "Dikerogammarus villosus (Sowinsky, 1894) (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Gammaridae) for the first time in Italy". Italian Journal of Zoology. 73 (1): 97–104. doi:10.1080/11250000500502293.
↑ Cini, Alessandro; Claudio, Ioriatti; Gianfranco, Anfora (2012). "A review of the invasion of Drosophila suzukii in Europe and a draft research agenda for integrated pest management" (PDF). Bulletin of Insectology. 65 (1): 149–160.
↑ Galetto, Luciana; Pegoraro, Mattia; Marzachì, Cristina; Rossi, Elisabetta; Lucchi, Andrea; Bosco, Domenico (1 August 2019). "Potential role of the alien planthopper Ricania speculum as vector of Flavescence dorée phytoplasma". European Journal of Plant Pathology. 154 (4): 1103–1110. Bibcode:2019EJPP..154.1103G. doi:10.1007/s10658-019-01731-0. hdl: 11568/1005055 . ISSN 1573-8469.
↑ Emiliano, Mori; Mirko, Di Febbraro; Massimiliano, Foresta; Paolo, Melis; Enrico, Romanazzi; Andrea, Notari; Francesca, Boggiano (2013). "Assessment of the current distribution of free-living parrots and parakeets (Aves: Psittaciformes) in Italy: a synthesis of published data and new records" (PDF). Italian Journal of Zoology. 80 (2): 158–167. doi:10.1080/11250003.2012.738713.
↑ Menchetti, Mattia; Mori, Emiliano; Angelici, Francesco Maria (2016). Effects of the recent world invasion by ring-necked parakeets Psittacula krameri. Springer International Publishin. pp. 253–266. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-22246-2_12. ISBN 978-3-319-22246-2.
↑ Mori, Emiliano; Mazza, Giuseppe; Menchetti, Mattia; Panzeri, Mattia; Gager, Yann; Bertolino, Sandro; Di Febbraro, Mirko (2015). "The masked invader strikes again: the conquest of Italy by the Northern raccoon". Hystrix. 26 (1): 47–51. doi:10.4404/hystrix-26.1-11035.

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[1] "Bothriocephalus acheilognathi". Invasive Species Compendium. Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2017.

[2] <E. Mori et al.> (26 September 2021). "Discovering the Pandora's box: the invasion of alien flatworms in Italy" (PDF). Biological Invasions. Springer Nature. Retrieved 2 March 2025.

[3] Casellato, Sandra; La Piana, Giovanni; Latella, Leonardo; Ruffo, Sandro (2006). "Dikerogammarus villosus (Sowinsky, 1894) (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Gammaridae) for the first time in Italy". Italian Journal of Zoology. 73 (1): 97–104. doi:10.1080/11250000500502293.

[4] Cini, Alessandro; Claudio, Ioriatti; Gianfranco, Anfora (2012). "A review of the invasion of Drosophila suzukii in Europe and a draft research agenda for integrated pest management" (PDF). Bulletin of Insectology. 65 (1): 149–160.

[5] Galetto, Luciana; Pegoraro, Mattia; Marzachì, Cristina; Rossi, Elisabetta; Lucchi, Andrea; Bosco, Domenico (1 August 2019). "Potential role of the alien planthopper Ricania speculum as vector of Flavescence dorée phytoplasma". European Journal of Plant Pathology. 154 (4): 1103–1110. Bibcode:2019EJPP..154.1103G. doi:10.1007/s10658-019-01731-0. hdl: 11568/1005055 . ISSN 1573-8469.

[6] Emiliano, Mori; Mirko, Di Febbraro; Massimiliano, Foresta; Paolo, Melis; Enrico, Romanazzi; Andrea, Notari; Francesca, Boggiano (2013). "Assessment of the current distribution of free-living parrots and parakeets (Aves: Psittaciformes) in Italy: a synthesis of published data and new records" (PDF). Italian Journal of Zoology. 80 (2): 158–167. doi:10.1080/11250003.2012.738713.

[Menchetti2016-7] Menchetti, Mattia; Mori, Emiliano; Angelici, Francesco Maria (2016). Effects of the recent world invasion by ring-necked parakeets Psittacula krameri. Springer International Publishin. pp. 253–266. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-22246-2_12. ISBN 978-3-319-22246-2.

[8] Mori, Emiliano; Mazza, Giuseppe; Menchetti, Mattia; Panzeri, Mattia; Gager, Yann; Bertolino, Sandro; Di Febbraro, Mirko (2015). "The masked invader strikes again: the conquest of Italy by the Northern raccoon". Hystrix. 26 (1): 47–51. doi:10.4404/hystrix-26.1-11035.

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