Status LU: present
		Status Eur.: established.
		RA: ISEIA: n/a. Harmonia+: n/a.
	Andromeda-Netzwanze	Wikipedia: | Wikispecies:/
		Back to the list of invertebrates

Brief description

Chelicorophium robustum

Status and distribution in Luxembourg

Risk assessment

ISEIA protocol

no assessed yet

Harmonia+ protocol

no assessed yet

Worldwide distribution

GBIF:

Bibliography

•  

 Page content last updated on 2026-09-18.

 

		Status LU: present
		Status Eur.: established.
		RA: ISEIA: n/a. Harmonia+: n/a.
	Granataugen-Flohkrebs	Wikipedia: / | Wikispecies:/
		Back to the list of invertebrates

Brief description

Chaetogammarus ischnus (Stebbing, 1899) is a fresh and brackish water gammarid amphipod native to the Black and Caspian Sea basins and the surrounding inflowing rivers. It is a small, slender species with a body length of up to 12 mm. It is introduced in parts of Europe and North America. The species tolerates a wide temperature range, from near-freezing to above 30°C. It ranges widely into freshwater, but is sensitive to water of low ionic content (conductivity). In its introduced range, E. ischnus is abundant on rocky and cobble shores, but especially favors clumps of Zebra and Quagga Mussel shells. It is not strongly associated with vegetation. In living specimens, the eyes are bright red, the antennae are orange, and the body is translucent and reddish. The antennae are long and hairy. Its preferred habitats are the lower reaches of larger rivers and streams, canals, and lakes. The species competes with native amphipods for habitat and food. There are no known significant negative impacts on other species groups. Chaetogammarus ischnus occurs sporadically in Germany but is often found in high densities on rock embankments in waterways (e.g., the Rhine and Havel), where it is frequently the dominant species alongside Dikerogammarus villosus. It is a predatory omnivore (feeding on other small animals, insect larvae, algae, aquatic plants and fish eggs). The Dreissena invasion in Europe and the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River may have facilitated the spread of E. ischnus by providing shelter from predation (Fofonoff et al. 2018, Müller et al 2018, Kanton Aargau 2026).

Status and distribution in Luxembourg

Among invasive amphipods, the Pontocaspian species Chaetogammarus ischnus showed an increase in its population between 2018 and 2023, with high prevalence in the Moselle (from Stadtbredimus to Wasserbillig) and the Saar (monitoring by the LfU Rhineland-Palatinate State Office for the Environment).

Risk assessment

ISEIA protocol

no assessed yet

Harmonia+ protocol

no assessed yet

Worldwide distribution

 

GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/taxon/TC9N#map

Bibliography

• Fofonoff PW, Ruiz GM, Steves B, Simkanin C, & Carlton JT (2018): National Exotic Marine and Estuarine Species Information System. https://invasions.si.edu/nemesis. Access Date: September 24, 2026
• Kanton Aargau, 2026. Neobiota in Gewässern, https://www.ag.ch/de/themen/umwelt-natur/neobiota/neobiota-in-gewaessern?jumpto=Njc1NzcwMC9iZDMxMzc3YS0wMzdjLTQ0NTYtOWEyYS0xODA0MmM0OGNjZjM [Accessed 2026-08-18]
• Müller, R., C. Wolter & T. Peschel, 2018. Neobiota in Berliner Gewässern im Jahr 2018, Wirbellose Tiere, Fische und Wasserpflanzen, Planungsbüro Hydrobiologie Berlin, Im Auftrag der Senatsverwaltung für Umwelt, Verkehr und Klimaschutz, Abteilung Integrativer Umweltschutz, Referat Wasserwirtschaf, pp. 143.

 Page content last updated on 2026-09-24.

 

		Status LU: present
		Status Eur.: established.
		RA: ISEIA: n/a. Harmonia+: n/a.
		Wikipedia: / | Wikispecies:/
		Back to the list of invertebrates

Brief description

Branchiura sowerbyi Beddard, 1892 is a cosmopolite freshwater oligochaete. It is widespread in Europe and North America and also known in Asia, South America, Australia and South Africa. Its earliest records come from South East Asia and botanical gardens in Europe. Distribution patterns led to the conclusion that the species originated from the Sino-Indian region and was spread elsewhere by human activity. Fauna Europaea reports the species from 22 countries throughout Europe where it usually occurs in shallow, very warm stagnant or slowly flowing waters (Grabowski, M. & A. Jabłońska, 2009).

Status and distribution in Luxembourg

In 1959, Jules A. Hoffmann caught Branchiures in the Moselle River near Remich. Subsequent surveys revealed a massive population in the border section of the Moselle. Furthermore, the species was moving upstream along the lower Sûre: by 1965, it had passed Moersdorf (J. Hoffmann 1970). Mauch (1962, 1963) confirmed the presence of this non-native species in the Moselle River between Schengen and Wasserbillig (Dhur & Massard 1995). The species is said to have been present in France’s Moselle River since 1935. A few individuals were also observed in 2023 at a monitoring station on the Moselle in Palzem, across from Stadtbredimus, but not in the Sauer.

Risk assessment

ISEIA protocol

no assessed yet

Harmonia+ protocol

no assessed yet

Worldwide distribution

GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/taxon/N6WK

Bibliography

• Dhur, G. & J.-A. Massard, 1995. Etude historique et faunistique des invertébrés immigrés ou introduits dans la Moselle luxembourgeoise et ses affluents, Bulletin de la société des naturalistes luxembourgeoies, 96 (1995), p. 127 – 156.
• Grabowski, M. & A. Jabłońska, 2009. First records of Branchiura sowerbyi Beddard, 1892 (Oligochaeta: Tubificidae) in Greece, Aquatic Invasions (2009) Volume 4, Issue 2: 365-367.

 Page content last updated on 2026-08-18.

 

Demon shrimp		Status LU: present
		Status Eur.: established.
		RA: ISEIA: n/a. Harmonia+: n/a.
Kleiner Höckerflohkrebs		Wikipedia:   | Wikispecies: /
Kleine rimpelvlokreeft		Back to the list of invertebrates

Brief description

Dikerogammarus haemobaphes (Eichwald, 1841) is a species of freshwater gammarid crustacean. These gammarids are commonly known as demon shrimp, likely because they are an extremely successful invasive species. Native to the Ponto Caspian basin, Dikerogammarus haemobaphes expanded their range in the 1950s. This expansion began in Lake Balaton, Hungary and then spread into certain rivers and lakes in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. These crustaceans likely broadened their range due to the interconnection of waterways in Europe and the use of transportation vectors such as boats and ships (Wikipedia contributors, 2023).

Status and distribution in Luxembourg

The species was recorded in 2008/2009 in the French part of the Moselle (Labat et al. 2011), and was detected in the Moselle in Luxembourg in both 2018 and 2024 during monitoring by the LfU Rhineland-Palatinate State Office for the Environment.

Risk assessment

ISEIA protocol

no assessed yet

Harmonia+ protocol

no assessed yet

Worldwide distribution

GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/taxon/364SM#map

Bibliography

• Labat, F., C. Piscart, B. Fontan, 2011. First records, pathways and distributions of four new Ponto-Caspian amphipods in France, Limnologica Volume 41, Issue 4, December 2011, Pages 290-295
• Wikipedia contributors, 2023. Dikerogammarus haemobaphes, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 28 March 2023, 15:10 UTC, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dikerogammarus haemobaphes> [Accessed 2025-10-22]

 Page content last updated on 2026-08-18.

	Southern green shield bug	Status LU: established
		Status Eur.: established.
	Punaise verte puante	RA: ISEIA: n/a. Harmonia+: n/a.
	Grüne Reiswanze	Wikipedia: | Wikispecies:
	Zuidelijke groene schildwants	Back to the list of invertebrates

Brief description

Nezara viridula L., commonly known as southern green shield bug or green vegetable bug, is a plant-feeding stink bug. Believed to have originated in Ethiopia, it can now be found across the world due to its strong flight and human transport along trade routes. Because of its preference for certain species of legumes, such as beans and soybeans, it is an economically important pest on such crops.

Status and distribution in Luxembourg

The first documented sighting of this species in Luxembourg was in Hesperange in 2019. Based on the data found in the Recorder-Lux database, the species has established itself primarily in the centre of the country and in the Moselle valley. It appears to be less common in the Ösling region so far.

Risk assessment

ISEIA protocol

no assessed yet

Harmonia+ protocol

no assessed yet

Worldwide distribution

GBIF (2026): https://www.gbif.org/species/2078852

Bibliography

• Wikipedia contributors, 2025. Nezara viridula, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 7 October 2025, 17:22 UTC, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nezara_viridula> [Accessed 2026-01-05]

 Page content last updated on 2026-09-22.

 

	Japanese beetle	Status LU: not observed yet.
		Status Eur.: established.
	Scarabée japonais	RA: ISEIA: n/a. Harmonia+: n/a.
	Japan-Käfer	Wikipedia: | Wikispecies:
	Japanse kever	Back to the list of invertebrates

Brief description

Popillia japonica Newman, 1841 is a species of scarab beetle. Due to the presence of natural predators, the Japanese beetle is not considered a pest in its native Japan, but in North America and Europe, it is a noted pest to roughly 300 species of plants. Some of these plants include rose bushes, grapes, potatoes, tomatoes, bean, birch trees, maple trees, and others. The adult beetles damage plants by skeletonizing the foliage as well as, at times, feeding on a plant’s fruit. The subterranean larvae feed on the roots of grasses (Wikipedia contributors 2024).

Japanese beetles have been found on the islands of the Azores since the 1970s. In 2014, the first population in mainland Europe was discovered near Milan, Italy. In 2017, the pest was detected in nearby Ticino, Switzerland. In 2023, the first population north of the Alps was detected in Kloten near Zürich, Switzerland (Wikipedia contributors 2024). End of July 2024, the species was first observed in southern Germany around Freiburg im Breisgau and Ludwigsburg (LTZ Augustenberg).

A project for an integrated pest management of the species in Europe has been launched with the aim to address the challenge of this new risk to plant health in Europe. The main goals of IPM Popillia are identifying the Japanese beetles’ pathways of entry and spread, understanding the drivers of Japanese beetles’ population development, providing a toolbox for control of the species and developing sustainable Japanese Beetle management in Europe.

Status and distribution in Luxembourg

Popillia japonica Newman, 1841 has not yet been detected in Luxembourg.

A booklet about the Japanese beetle was published in 2023 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Viticulture and Rural Development.

Risk assessment

ISEIA protocol

no assessed yet

Harmonia+ protocol

no assessed yet

Worldwide distribution

GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/species/4425774

Bibliography

• Ministère de l’Agriculture, de la Viticulture et du Développement rural, Administration des services techniques de l’agriculture – ASTA, 2023. Japankäfer – Popillia japonica, booklet, 12 pp.
• LTZ Augustenberg, 2024. Pressemitteilung: Einzelne Japankäfer in Freiburg und im Landkreis Ludwigsburg gefunden. URL: https://mdata.mnhn.lu [Accessed 2024-08-09]
• Wikipedia contributors, 2024. Japanese beetle, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 30 July 2024, 14:50 UTC, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_beetle> [Accessed 2024-08-09]

 Page content last updated on 2026-09-22.

Brown marmorated stink bug		Status LU: established. 1st record: 2022, ITW 2022.
Brong marbréiert Bamwanz		Status Eur.: established. 1st record: 1998
Punaise diabolique		RA: ISEIA: n/a Harmonia+: n/a
Marmorierte Baumwanze		Wikipedia: | Wikispecies: | CABI
Bruin gemarmerde schildwants		Back to the list of neozoa

Brief description

The brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) is native to China, Japan, Korea and other Asian regions. In 1998 it was collected in Pennsylvania/USA, where it is believed to have been accidentally introduced. The nymphs and adults of the brown marmorated stink bug feed on over 100 species of plants, including many agricultural crops, and by 2010 had become a season-long pest in orchards in the Eastern United States. The brown marmorated stink bug was probably first introduced to Europe during the repair work of the Chinese Garden in Zurich, Switzerland in the winter of 1998. The stink bug has been traced back to have travelled with roof tiles that were imported from Beijing, China. The first sighting in southern Germany was made in Konstanz in 2011. In Italy the first specimens were found in Modena in 2012 and afterwards in South Tyrol in 2016. The pest rapidly spread across Europe, and it is currently present in nearly every European country as well as in many parts of North and South America. The rapid spread of the species is linked to its ability to hitchhike, particularly in autumn when it seeks shelter in any man-made structure to overwinter, and easily travels with us and our means of transportation. H. halys has also a strong capacity to disperse at landscape levels throughout most periods of its lifetime. The species has over 100 reported host plants. It is widely considered to be an arboreal species and can frequently be found among woodlots. In orchards where H. halys is established in the USA, it is a season-long pest of tree fruit. In particular, peaches, nectarines, apples and Asian pears are heavily attacked. The brown marmorated stink bug is likely to invade homes in the fall. The bug survives the winter as an adult by entering houses and structures when autumn evenings become colder, often in the thousands. In one home, more than 26,000 stinkbugs were found overwintering. Once inside the house, they go into a state of hibernation (CABI 2013, Wikipedia contributors 2023).

Status and distribution in Luxembourg

There are only a few observations of the species documented for Luxembourg so far, the first one from September 2022 in Frisingen.

Risk assessment

ISEIA protocol

Not assessed yet.

Harmonia+ protocol

Not assessed yet.

Worldwide distribution

Bibliography

• CABI, 2013. ‘Halyomorpha halys’ (2013) CABI Compendium.doi.org: 10.1079/cabicompendium.27377. [accessed 2023-11-14]
• MNHNL, iNaturalist & GBIF, 2023. Halyomorpha halys (Stål, 1855) in MNHNL-mdata, online portal combining species observation from Recorder-Lux, iNaturalist and GBIF. National Museum of Natural History, Luxembourg. URL: https://mdata.mnhn.lu [Accessed 2023-11-14]
• Wikipedia contributors, 2023. ‘Brown marmorated stink bug’, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 6 November 2023, 19:56 UTC, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_marmorated_stink_bug> [accessed 2023-11-14]

 Page content last updated on 2026-09-22. Last proofread by Caroline Grounds on 2023-10-26.

		Status LU: established. 1st record: 1962, ITW 1962.
		Status Eur.: established. 1st record: native to the Iberian Peninsula.
		RA: ISEIA: n/a Harmonia+: n/a
Igelflohkrebs		Wikipedia: | Wikispecies: | CABI
		Back to the list of neozoa

Brief description

Native to the south-western Mediterranean basin, from northern Spain to south-western France (Basque country, Midi-Pyrénées), Echinogammarus berilloni Catta, 1878 has been observed for the first time in France in the mountains of the Basses-Pyrénées. By crossing the Pyrenees, the animal was able to reach the Loire, the Paris Basin and invaded most French rivers. French canals enabled the species to spread throughout Europe during the first half of the 20th century. From the Paris Basin, the animal spread to the tributaries of the Eseaut and the Meuse, and thus succeeded in colonising Belgium and the south of the Netherlands. The canal from the Marne to the Rhine gave it access to the north-east, the Moselle, the Saar and the Upper Rhine. This species, which grows to a size of 2 cm, lives in the middle and lower reaches of streams and rivers. It lives among vegetation and under rock and is euryhaline. It is also tolerant of high temperatures and organic pollution. E. berilloni shows a strong preference for vegetation and leaf litter as substratum when existing in single-species populations (Dhur & Massard 1995, Mayer et al. 2011, ONEMA 2015).

Status and distribution in Luxembourg

A fairly massive presence of Echinogammarus berilloni Catta, 1878 was reported in the region of the estuary of the river Sûre (Wasserbillig) and the middle and lower Moselle in 1962/1963. Upstream of the estuary of the Sûre, the species became rare. Between the early 1960s and the 1980s, various studies found that the species no longer existed in the Moselle upstream of Wasserbillig. It was assumed that the species became extinct after the Moselle was canalised, probably as a result of a dissolved oxygen caused by the reduction in the speed of the current velocity. It has to be clarified whether the more recent observation of the species in the Moselle in 2006 was an isolated event or contradicts the above-mentioned theory. In the Sûre and its tributaries, the species has persisted and recent sightings (2018, 2023) have been documented (Dhur & Massard 1995, MNHNL, 2000-).

Risk assessment

ISEIA protocol

Not assessed yet.

Harmonia+ protocol

Not assessed yet.

Worldwide distribution

Bibliography

• Dhur, G. et J.A. Massard, 1995. Etude historique et faunistique des Invertébrés immigrés ou introduits dans la Moselle luxembourgeoise et ses affluents. Bulletin de la Société des naturalistes luxembourgeois 96: 127-156. [PDF 1896 KB]
• Mayer, G., A. Maas & D. Waloszek, 2011. Mouthpart Morphology of Three Sympatric Native and Nonnative Gammaridean Species: Gammarus pulex, G. fossarum, and Echinogammarus berilloni (Crustacea: Amphipoda), International Journal of Zoology, Volume 2012, Article ID 493420, 23 pp.
• MNHNL, 2000-. Recorder-Lux, database on the natural heritage of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. National Museum of Natural History, Luxembourg. Echinogammarus berilloni (Catta, 1878) observed on 2023-10-17, occurrence ID DSS0043900002A6J, via https://mdata.mnhn.lu [accessed 2023-10-20].
• ONEMA, 2015. Recueil de fiches d’identification, Espèces exotiques envahissantes des milieux aquatiques et associés en France métropolitaine, 168 pp.

 Page content last updated on 2026-09-22. Last proofread by Caroline Grounds on 2023-10-26.

	Quagga mussel	Status LU: present.
	Quaggamuschel	Status Eur.: established.
	Moule quagga	RA: ISEIA: n/a. Harmonia+: n/a.
	Quagga-Dreikantmuschel	Wikipedia: | Wikispecies: n/a | CABI
	Quagga mussel	Back to the list of invertebrates

Brief description

The quagga mussel (Dreissena bugensis) is a species (or subspecies) of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusc in the family Dreissenidae. It has an average lifespan of 3 to 5 years. The species is indigenous to the Dnieper River drainage of Ukraine, and is named after the quagga, an extinct subspecies of African zebra. The invasive quagga mussel is currently of major concern as it spreads in the rivers and lakes of Europe and also in the Great Lakes of North America.

Quagga mussels are presumed to have originated in the Ukrainian section of the Black Sea. The expansion of its range in Europe began only after 1940 and likely was associated with construction of interbasin canals and creation of impoundments along the large European rivers. Today, they are an invasive species found throughout western Europe. In Germany, quagga mussels were first identified in 2006, and now populate many inland waters, such as the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, the Main, and the Rhine. They were first identified in Switzerland in 2015 and in Lake Constance in 2016, where they have since spread massively and caused considerable problems, in particular to the machinery in waterworks. In 2014, the species was reported at Wraysbury Reservoir, not far from London’s Heathrow Airport in the valley of the River Thames. In Ireland, the mussels were first discovered in 2021 in two lakes on the River Shannon: Lough Derg and Lough Ree.

This species is known for its invasive nature and can reach densities of over 1,000 individuals per square metre. It competes with existing zebra mussels and native species, and often manages to dominate newly colonised rivers within a few years. Due to these biological traits, Dreissena spp. can substantially affect the environment, food webs and biodiversity of the ecosystems they invade, and cause tremendous economic damage in raw water-using industries, potable water treatment plants, and electric power stations. This species was identified as the top ranking invasive species threat to the UK in a study of almost 600 non-native species (CABI 2014, Wikipedia contributors 2022, A. Schleimer (AGE) personal communication 13.08.2026).

Status and distribution in Luxembourg

The quagga mussel (Dreissena bugensis Andrusov 1897 ) was first in the French section of the Moselle in 2011. Since its discovery, the quagga mussel population in the French section of the Moselle has increased thirtyfold. Monitoring between Sierck-les-Bains and Pont-à-Mousson suggested that zebra mussels still accounted for two-thirds of the triangular mussel (Dreissenidae) individuals at all stations, but that the larger quagga mussels accounted for 60 per cent of the biomass on average. In the water bodies designated as the ‘Lower Moselle’ (from Koblenz to Konz) and the ‘Upper Moselle’ (from Oberbillig to Apach), the quagga mussel has clearly succeeded in displacing the zebra mussel as the dominant species. To date, quagga mussels have not spread into the Sauer or other free-flowing tributaries of the Moselle, as natural ecological barriers and the absence of boat traffic limit their distribution (Schleimer (AGE) personal communication 13.08.2026, bij de Vaate & Beisel 2011). The discovery of the quagga mussel at the monitoring station in Palzem, opposite Stadtbredimus, is the first record of the species in the Luxembourg section of the Moselle. However, given the findings in Sierck-les-Bains in 2011, it is reasonable to assume that the species was already present in Luxembourg several years earlier. The species has established itself in large numbers at the fish passes of the Palzem and Grevenmacher barrages (A. Schleimer (AGE) personal communication 13.08.2026).

A flyer about invasive mussels has been published by natur&ëmwelt.

Risk assessment

ISEIA protocol

Not assessed yet.

Harmonia+ protocol

Not assessed yet.

Worldwide distribution

Bibliography

• Bij de Vaate, A. & J.-N. Beisel, 2011.  Range expansion of the quagga mussel Dreissena rostriformis bugensis (Andrusov, 1897) in Western Europe: first observation from France, Aquatic Invasions (2011) Volume 6, Supplement 1: S71–S74
• CABI, 2014. Dreissena rostriformis bugensis Andrusov 1897. In: Invasive Species Compendium. Wallingford, UK: CAB International. URL: www.cabi.org/isc [accessed 2023-01-23]
• Wikipedia contributors, 2025. ‘Dreissena bugensis‘, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 11 September 2025, 16:30 UTC, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quagga_mussel> [accessed 2025-09-25]

 Page content last updated on 2026-09-21. Last proofread by Caroline Grounds on 2023-03-27.