Terrestrial Invertebrates | National Invasive Species Information Center

Terrestrial (land-dwelling) Invasive Invertebrates are animals that lack a vertebral column (backbone). Insects are the most common invasive terrestrial invertebrate, but it also includes other arthropods — mollusks or molluscs (snails and slugs) and worms (flatworms, roundworms, segmented worms).

Citations:

Govorushko, S.M. Natural Processes and Human Impacts: Interactions between Humanity and the Environment. Springer, 2012.
Hine, R. and E. Martin. 2015. “Invertebrate.” In: A Dictionary of Biology (7th ed). Oxford University Press.

Africanized Honeybee

Apis mellifera scutellata Lepeletier (Ellis and Ellis 2008; Sheppard and Smith 2000)
Asian Citrus Psyllid

Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, 1908 (ITIS; name is valid but unverified)
Asian Jumping Worm

Amynthas spp. (CABI)
Asian Long-Horned Beetle

Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky, 1853) (ITIS)
Asian Longhorned Tick

Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann, 1901 (ITIS)
Asian Tiger Mosquito

Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1895) (ITIS)
Box Tree Moth

Cydalima perspectalis (Walker, 1859) (Mally and Nuss 2010)
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

Halyomorpha halys Stål (ITIS)
Brown Spruce Longhorned Beetle

Tetropium fuscum (Fabricius, 1787) (CABI)
Cactus Moth

Cactoblastis cactorum (Berg) (Zimmermann et al. 2004)
Chilli Thrips

Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood, 1919 (ITIS)
Citrus Longhorned Beetle

Anoplophora chinensis (Forster) (Haack et al. 2010)
Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle

Oryctes rhinoceros (Linnaeus) (CABI)
Common Pine Shoot Beetle

Tomicus piniperda L. (CABI)
Emerald Ash Borer

Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, 1888 (ITIS)
European Cherry Fruit Fly

Rhagoletis cerasi L. (ITIS)
European Grapevine Moth

Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermüller) (Gilligan et al. 2011)
European Spruce Bark Beetle

Ips typographus L. (Cognato and Sun 2007)
False Codling Moth

Thaumatotibia leucotreta (Meyrick), formerly known as Cryptophlebia leucotreta (Gilligan et al. 2011)
Flighted Spongy Moth Complex

Lymantria dispar asiatica Vnukovskij, Lymantria dispar japonica (Motschulsky), Lymantria albescens Hori and Umeno, Lymantria umbrosa (Butler), and Lymantria postalba Inoue (Djoumad et al. 2020)
Formosan Subterranean Termite

Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, 1909 (ITIS)
Giant African Snail

Lissachatina fulica (Bowdich) (CABI)
Note: Achatina fulica was recently redesignated Lissachatina fulica, largely on the basis of Mead's (1961) observations (Naggs, 2002).
Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter

Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar) (Formerly known as Homalodisca coagulata) (Takiya et al. 2006)
Golden Nematode

Globodera rostochiensis (Wollenweber, 1923) (CABI)
Hammerhead Worm

Bipalium kewense Moseley, 1878 (ITIS)
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

Adelges tsugae (Annand) (Annand 1928)
Japanese Beetle

Popillia japonica Newman, 1841 (ITIS)
Khapra Beetle

Trogoderma granarium Everts, 1899 (ITIS)
Kudzu Bug

Megacopta cribraria (F.) (Eger et al. 2010)
Light Brown Apple Moth

Epiphyas postvittana (Walker, 1863) (Brown et al. 2010)

Species Information Disclaimer

NISIC provides general information about species considered to be invasive and our information does not have any regulatory implications. There are more than 6,500 invasive species established across the United States. The large numbers of invasive species prevent us from maintaining detailed information on all invasive species. In addition, determining the invasiveness of a species depends on a number of local factors, including type of habitat. The species profiles included on NISIC's site are intended to be an educational resource and should not be considered to be an official list of invasive species by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.