This list was created by the Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Species were selected using two criteria: their serious impact on biological diversity and/or human activities, and their illustration of important issues of biological invasion. To ensure a wide variety of examples, only one species from each genus was selected. Absence from the list does not imply that a species poses a lesser threat.
| SPECIES | ENGLISH NAME | TAXONOMIC GROUP | LU-LISTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banana bunchy top virus | banana bunchy top virus | Microorganism | |
| Plasmodium relictum | avian malaria | Microorganism | |
| Rinderpest virus | rinderpest virus | Microorganism | |
| Aphanomyces astaci | crayfish plague | Macrofungi | |
| Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis | frog chytrid fungus | Macrofungi | |
| Cryphonectria parasitica | chestnut blight | Macrofungi | |
| Ophiostoma ulmi | Dutch elm disease | Macrofungi | |
| Phytophthora cinnamomi | phytophthora root rot | Macrofungi | |
| Caulerpa taxifolia | caulerpa seaweed | Aquatic plant | |
| Eichhornia crassipes | water hyacinth | Aquatic plant | |
| Spartina anglica | common cord-grass | Aquatic plant | |
| Undaria pinnatifida | wakame seaweed | Aquatic plant | |
| Acacia mearnsii | black wattle | Land plant | |
| Ardisia elliptica | shoebutton ardisia | Land plant | |
| Arundo donax | giant reed | Land plant | |
| Cecropia peltata | pumpwood | Land plant | |
| Chromolaena odorata | Siam weed | Land plant | |
| Cinchona pubescens | quinine tree | Land plant | |
| Clidemia hirta | Koster’s curse | Land plant | |
| Euphorbia esula | leafy spurge | Land plant | |
| Fallopia japonica | Japanese knotweed | Land plant | A3 |
| Hedychium gardnerianum | Kahili ginger | Land plant | |
| Hiptage benghalensis | hiptage | Land plant | |
| Imperata cylindrica | cogon grass | Land plant | |
| Lantana camara | lantana | Land plant | |
| Leucaena leucocephala | leucaena | Land plant | |
| Ligustrum robustum | privet | Land plant | |
| Lythrum salicaria | purple loosestrife | Land plant | |
| Melaleuca quinquenervia | melaleuca | Land plant | |
| Miconia calvescens | miconia | Land plant | |
| Mikania micrantha | mile-a-minute weed | Land plant | |
| Mimosa pigra | mimosa | Land plant | |
| Myrica faya | fire tree | Land plant | |
| Opuntia stricta | erect pricklypear | Land plant | |
| Pinus pinaster | cluster pine | Land plant | |
| Prosopis glandulosa | mesquite | Land plant | |
| Psidium cattleianum | strawberry guava | Land plant | |
| Pueraria montana var. lobata | kudzu | Land plant | |
| Rubus ellipticus | yellow Himalayan raspberry | Land plant | |
| Schinus terebinthifolius | Brazilian pepper tree | Land plant | |
| Spathodea campanulata | African tulip tree | Land plant | |
| Sphagneticola trilobata | wedelia | Land plant | |
| Tamarix ramosissima | tamarisk | Land plant | |
| Ulex europaeus | gorse | Land plant | |
| Asterias amurensis | Northern Pacific seastar | Aquatic invertebrate | |
| Carcinus maenas | green crab | Aquatic invertebrate | |
| Cercopagis pengoi | fish hook flea | Aquatic invertebrate | |
| Dreissena polymorpha | zebra mussel | Aquatic invertebrate | A2 |
| Eriocheir sinensis | Chinese mitten crab | Aquatic invertebrate | C0 |
| Mnemiopsis leidyi | comb jelly | Aquatic invertebrate | |
| Mytilus galloprovincialis | Mediterranean mussel | Aquatic invertebrate | |
| Pomacea canaliculata | golden apple snail | Aquatic invertebrate | |
| Potamocorbula amurensis | marine clam | Aquatic invertebrate | |
| Achatina fulica | giant African snail | Land invertebrate | |
| Aedes albopictus | Asian tiger mosquito | Land invertebrate | C0 |
| Anopheles quadrimaculatus | common malaria mosquito | Land invertebrate | |
| Anoplolepis gracilipes | crazy ant | Land invertebrate | |
| Anoplophora glabripennis | Asian longhorned beetle | Land invertebrate | B0 |
| Bemisia tabaci | sweet potato whitefly | Land invertebrate | |
| Cinara cupressi | cypress aphid | Land invertebrate | |
| Coptotermes formosanus shiraki | Formosan subterranean termite | Land invertebrate | |
| Euglandina rosea | rosy wolf snail | Land invertebrate | |
| Linepithema humile | Argentine ant | Land invertebrate | C0 |
| Lymantria dispar | gypsy moth | Land invertebrate | |
| Pheidole megacephala | big-headed ant | Land invertebrate | |
| Platydemus manokwari | flatworm | Land invertebrate | |
| Solenopsis invicta | red imported fire ant | Land invertebrate | |
| Trogoderma granarium | khapra beetle | Land invertebrate | |
| Vespula vulgaris | common wasp | Land invertebrate | |
| Wasmannia auropunctata | little fire ant | Land invertebrate | |
| Bufo marinus | cane toad | Amphibian | |
| Eleutherodactylus coqui | Caribbean tree frog | Amphibian | |
| Rana catesbeiana | bullfrog | Amphibian | A0 |
| Clarias batrachus | walking catfish | Fish | |
| Cyprinus carpio | carp | Fish | |
| Gambusia affinis | Western mosquito fish | Fish | |
| Lates niloticus | Nile perch | Fish | |
| Micropterus salmoides | large-mouth bass | Fish | |
| Oncorhynchus mykiss | rainbow trout | Fish | C2 |
| Oreochromis mossambicus | Mozambique tilapia | Fish | |
| Salmo trutta | brown trout | Fish | |
| Acridotheres tristis | Indian myna bird | Bird | |
| Pycnonotus cafer | red-vented bulbul | Bird | |
| Sturnus vulgaris | starling | Bird | |
| Boiga irregularis | brown tree snake | Reptile | |
| Trachemys scripta | red-eared slider | Reptile | C1 |
| Capra hircus | goat | Mammal | |
| Cervus elaphus | red deer | Mammal | |
| Felis catus | domestic cat | Mammal | |
| Herpestes javanicus | small Indian mongoose | Mammal | |
| Macaca fascicularis | macaque monkey | Mammal | |
| Mus musculus | mouse | Mammal | |
| Mustela erminea | stoat | Mammal | |
| Myocastor coypus | nutria | Mammal | C0 |
| Oryctolagus cuniculus | rabbit | Mammal | |
| Rattus rattus | ship rat | Mammal | |
| Sciurus carolinensis | grey squirrel | Mammal | |
| Sus scrofa | pig | Mammal | |
| Trichosurus vulpecula | brushtail possum | Mammal | |
| Vulpes vulpes | red fox | Mammal |
References
Lowe S., Browne M., Boudjelas S., De Poorter M. (2000) 100 of the World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species – A selection from the Global Invasive Species Database. Published by The Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) a specialist group of the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), 12pp. First published as special lift-out in Aliens 12, December 2000. Updated and reprinted version: November 2004. [PDF]
Page content last updated on 2021-03-27. Last proofread by Caroline Grounds on 2019-11-11.