The European terrestrial flatworm Microplana cf. terrestris (O.F. Müller, 1773) (Platyhelminthes: Geoplanidae) in a wilderness area of New Brunswick, Canada, suggests a previously unreported pathway to introduction

Abstract

The terrestrial flatworm Microplana terrestris (O.F. Müller, 1773) (Platyhelminthes: Geoplanidae) is a western European
native that has been introduced to North America and elsewhere. Introduction of terrestrial flatworms outside their native
ranges has been reported to have occurred via the horticultural trade, mainly in contaminated nursery plants and soil. A
second occurrence from Atlantic Canada is documented from a remote wilderness area. Circumstantial evidence suggests
that vermiculture (i.e., the cultivation of earthworms for use as bait in recreational fishing or composting or the use of worm castings as garden fertilizer) may be a previously unrecognized pathway for terrestrial flatworm introduction.